The Dawn's Beginning: Book 1: Moon's Rising
by SpiritGirl183
Summary: Generations have passed since the Three have been spoken of, and a new threat of death and fear has entered the forests of the Clans. New boundaries, new limits, and mystery hidden under every fallen leaf... full summary inside. R&R! Last chapter UP!
1. Prologue

_**Summary: **Seasons after the Three of ThunderClan, false peace has settled over the four Clans of the lake. A new prophecy is born, along with two very special kits. A new horror stalks the forest, said to be worse than Tigerstar himself, and no cat is safe. _

**Here is a new story I have written that was inspired by...something or other, maybe boredom brought it up. Please, please, PLEASE review, 'cause that'll tell me if I should write more. I should stop typing and let you read now.**

**Enjoy, my friends of the Internet.  
**

**Prologue**

A white tom watched with rapture as the tom beneath his feet writhed and shrieked in pain. Only a couple of moments, and the tom would have bled to death.

"Had enough?" the white tom growled, his lips curling in a snarl as the tom gasped and gulped for air.

He looked at the white tom with stunning blue eyes. "You shall never triumph with death so cold in your heart." He took a sharp breath, then breathed his last words. "Before the Moon, blue feathers will fall, and the Dusk will be avenged." His head collapsed again into the sand, the last of his air sighing out of him. The white tom felt the hairs stand up on his spine as the familiar sensation of a spirit joining StarClan upheld him, and he watched as the stars of Silverpelt still glimmered coldly, taking no notice of the medicine cat who just joined them.

"You think you're so great," the white tom spat to the sky, his green eyes unblinking. "I am the only one who knows of your lies." He flicked his tail toward the bushes, and a black she-cat slunk out, followed by a ginger tabby.

Far away in ThunderClan, a newborn kit struggled into life beside its mother's warm flank. One other squirmed beside her, while one more lay still and unmoving as the mother licked it fiercely. A gray tabby tom laid his tail-tip gently on the mother's shoulder, and she nodded sadly; she tucked her two remaining kits up to her belly, where they began to suckle.

Across from the kits and outside in a small clearing, lay a leader, rasping and coughing, taking his last breaths. A ginger she-cat lay beside him, and tried desperately to comfort her mate as StarClan took his last life. He whispered something, then finally he lay still. With a tear in her eye, the ginger she-cat slowly got up and heaved the dead tom up on her shoulder. She carried him outside, sorrow in her every step.

**Please review! I would really appreciate your comments and (constructive) criticisms. NO FLAMES, THEY BURN! **


	2. Alliances

**Here are the cats, chosen by me and created by you.**

**Enjoy.  
**

_**A L L I A N C E S**_

**_THUNDERCLAN_ (All of these are my own)**

**Leader:** Oakstar—Brown tabby tom with bright yellow eyes (6 lives left)

**Deputy:** Greenmoss—Ginger she-cat with light green eyes and a white tail-tip

**Medicine Cat:** Mosspatch—Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

**Apprentice, Ashpaw**

**Warriors: **(toms and she-cats without kits)

Barleyfoot—Cream tom with bright blue eyes

Featherstream—Light silver she-cat with inquisitive green eyes and a white tail-tip **Apprentice, Flickerpaw**

Yarrowtail—Gray and cream tom with blue eyes **Apprentice, Tansypaw**

Kestrelpelt—Bronze-colored tom with yellow eyes and a white underbelly

Larkwing—White she-cat with yellow eyes and gray flecks along her pelt

Marshwater—Brown and gray tom with murky green eyes** Apprentice, Pebblepaw**

Lizardbreath—Light brown tabby tom with blue eyes and white paws

Grassfur—Black tom with green eyes and white paws

Fallingwater—Silvery she-cat with light blue eyes and a white muzzle **Apprentice, Sootpaw**

Gingereyes—Dark ginger tom with amber eyes and a black tail-tip **Apprentice, Cavepaw**

Storktalon—Black and white tom with green eyes **Apprentice, Scatteredpaw**

Mossshadow—Light sandy brown she-cat with a white tail-tip and yellow eyes

**Apprentices: **(kits over six moons old, in training to become warriors)

Ashpaw—Gray tom with white paws and blue eyes

Flickerpaw- Dark ginger she-cat with darker ginger flecks and amber eyes

Tansypaw—Brown tabby she-cat with white paws and green eyes

Pebblepaw—Small gray tabby tom with blue eyes

Sootpaw—Black tom with icy blue eyes

Cavepaw—Ginger and gray she-cat with dark blue eyes

Scatteredpaw—Gray she-cat (with darker gray flecks), yellow eyes

**Queens: **(she-cats expecting or nursing kits)

Brackenmask—Dark ginger she-cat with hard green eyes (mother of Kestrelpelt's kits, Moonkit(black she-cat, ice blue eyes), and Seedkit(brown tabby tom, green eyes)

Clovergrass—Black she-cat with green eyes and a white underbelly (mother of Lizardbreath's kits, Longkit(black tabby tom, blue eyes), and Harpiekit(brown and white she-cat, yellow eyes)

**Elders: **(warriors and queens, now retired)

Fluffyears—Brown and white tom with green eyes

Brindlefire—Dark ginger she-cat with white paws and green eyes

Coaltail—Dark ginger tom with green eyes_(Not my own but, eh, I needed another elder in ThunderClan…)_

_**RIVERCLAN**_

**Leader: **Blazestar—Dark ginger tom with a lighter muzzle and blue eyes (7 lives left)

**Deputy: **Thunderbreeze—Dusty brown tom with green eyes **Apprentice, Sootpaw**

**Medicine Cat: **Mistpool—Silvery gray she-cat with kind green eyes

**Warriors: **Sparrowfeather—Brown she-cat with a red underbelly and paws, yellow eyes

Nightclaw—Jet-black tom with yellow eyes **Apprentice, Griffinpaw**

Adderfang—Gray and white tabby tom with amber eyes **Apprentice, Creekpaw**

Moontail—Silvery gray she-cat with green eyes

Cougerfang—Light gray-brown tom with blue eyes **Apprentice, Swallowpaw**

Icepool—White she-cat with blue eyes

Tigerblaze—Ginger and black tom with a white muzzle and amber eyes

Nightfall—Dark auburn she-cat with amber eyes **Apprentice, Scorchpaw**

Loudheart—Ginger tabby she-cat with a white muzzle and green eyes _(my own)_

Treetail—Light brown she-cat with wise green eyes

Lightstep—Cream she-cat with white patches on her sides, green eyes **Apprentice, Echopaw**

Darkfoot—Dark brown tom with brown eyes

Fishsplash—Light gray tabby tom with brown eyes

Firefang—Dark ginger tom with black paws and blue eyes **Apprentice, Icepaw**

Runningbreeze—Black tom with ginger streaks on his sides, dark green eyes

Grayfoot—Light gray tom with a white tail-tip and green eyes

Leaftail—Light brown she-cat with yellow eyes **Apprentice, Tinypaw**_(because she is protective of her own daughter)_

**Apprentices: **Griffinpaw—Tiny golden she-cat with black paws, muzzle, stomach, shoulder, amber eyes

Creekpaw—Dark silver she-cat with white spots and green eyes

Scorchpaw—Bright ginger she-cat

Icepaw—White she-cat with blue eyes

Echopaw—Dark brown tom, green eyes

Swallowpaw—Brown she-cat with a white stripe on her forehead, yellow eyes

Kestrelpaw—Dark brown tom, green eyes

Sootpaw—Dark gray tom with lighter gray stripes on his sides, amber eyes

Tinypaw—Small gray-brown she-cat with blue eyes

**Queens: **Poppyheart—Black and brown flecked she-cat with yellow eyes (mother of Adderfang's kits, Stonekit(stony gray tom, yellow eyes) and Cloudkit(white tom with black spots, amber eyes)

Laureltail—Longhaired cream she-cat with a pluming brown tail and blue eyes (mother of Cougarfang's kits, Bluekit(gray tom, blue eyes), Sandkit(white tom with ginger stripes on his sides, white eyes; blind) and Bubblekit(Silver she-cat with ice blue eyes) (my own; except Sandkit, he's adopted. XD)

Frostwing—Pure white she-cat with green eyes (mother of Blazestar's kits, Swiftkit(white she-cat with ginger patches on her sides, blue eyes), Snowkit(pure white she-cat, blue eyes), Wildkit(white she-cat with a lighter ginger mask over blue eyes), and Bramblekit(white tom with a ginger face)

Doveflight—Cream she-cat with light blue eyes (mother of Runningbreeze's kits, Heatherkit(black she-cat with brown paws and tail, green eyes), Fieldkit(light brown she-cat with very light green eyes), and Pantherkit(dark brown tabby tom with black stripes and blue eyes)

**Elders: **Blacktail—Jet-black tom with yellow eyes, father of Nightclaw, Poppyheart, and Sparrowfeather; retired early due to family passings

Withertail—Dark brown tom with blue eyes, father of Blazestar

Frostheart—Milky white she-cat with piercing blue eyes

_**SHADOWCLAN**_

**Leader: **Duskstar—Dark gray tom with a white muzzle and indigo eyes (6 lives left)

**Deputy: **Softfur (Softstar)—Pretty long-haired white she-cat

**Medicine Cat: **Dewheart—Dark gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes, former loner

**Warriors: **Huntstealth—Old pure black tom, father of Duskstar

Crowmoon—Dark gray tom with a white crescent moon on his forehead

Lightfeather—Light cream she-cat with pure blue eyes

Bearstripe—Dark brown tom with cream stripes and long claws **Apprentice, Skullpaw**

Pondripple—Light, silvery gray she-cat with clear blue eyes **Apprentice, Blackpaw**

Crookedripple—Gray tabby tom with a crooked tail, father of Softfur

Cindershadow—Dark gray she-cat with a black underbelly, mother of Softfur

Smokecloud—Gray tabby tom with yellow eyes

Emberpool—Gray tabby she-cat with amber eyes **Apprentice, Fuzzypaw**

Swantail—Light gray she-cat with a black muzzle and a long, pluming tail, blue eyes **Apprentice, Leopardpaw**

Leafclaw—Large brown tabby tom with dark green eyes

Snowfang—Cream she-cat with black paws and exceedingly sharp fangs **Apprentice, Hawkpaw**

Ravenclaw—Black tom with a blue sheen to his coat like feathers, ice blue eyes **Apprentice, Deathpaw**

Hawkfrenzy—Pure black tom with bright blue eyes

Smokefoot—Muscular gray tabby tom with pale gray splotches and amber eyes

**Apprentices: **Blackpaw—Black she-cat with white paws, ears, and tail-tip, violet eyes

Hawkpaw—Dark tabby tom with golden yellow eyes

Leopardpaw—Gold and silver she-cat with black markings, fierce green eyes

Fuzzypaw—Longhaired cream tom with indigo eyes

Deathpaw—White tom with yellow eyes

Skullpaw—White tom with yellow eyes, twin brother of Deathpaw

**Queens: **Littlefern—Light brown she-cat with gray eyes, expecting Crowmoon's kits

Fernstem—Light tan tabby she-cat with yellow eyes (mother of Hawkfrenzy's kits, Frenzykit(humongous black and tan tom with brown ears, clear blue eyes), Rhinokit(large gray-silver tom with black paws and ears, blue eyes, nearly blind), Grasskit(tan tabby tom with silver specks and brown stripes, very large), Waterkit(very dark gray tom with black specks, stripes, and spots, blue-yellow eyes), and Crevicekit(tan tabby tom with yellow paws, blue eyes)

Nightheart—Wiry black she-cat with white paws and tail-tip, brown eyes, expecting Smokefoot's kits (to be born to Mistkit(misty gray she-cat with white paws, brown eyes) and Sootkit(jet black tom with gray paws and white tail-tip, amber eyes)

**Elders: **Graydawn—Light gray she-cat, mother of Duskstar

_**WINDCLAN**_

**Leader: **Tawnystar—Golden tom with dark brown stripes and vibrant green eyes, white left forepaw (9 lives left)

**Deputy: **Nightshadow (Nightstar)—Pure black tom with green eyes

**Medicine Cat: **Swiftbreeze—Brown tom with a white belly and white and dark brown stripes on his back

**Warriors: **Flamefur—Dark ginger tom **Apprentice, Finchpaw**

Raventail—Black she-cat with white paws and dark green eyes

Asterfall—Gray tom with intelligent ice blue eyes **Apprentice, Applepaw**

Lionflower—Golden she-cat with stunning amber eyes, mother of Tawnystar **Apprentice, Silverpaw**

Stonestream—Gray tabby tom with yellow eyes, father of Tawnystar **Apprentice, Briarpaw**

Harestep—Light gray she-cat with blue eyes and a white underbelly **Apprentice, Gorgepaw**

Darkwing—Jet-black tom with a white underbelly and yellow eyes

Featherstep—Light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Spottedfire—Dark brown tabby she-cat with white and brown-speckled paws, yellow eyes _(my own)_

Eaglefeather—Dark brown tom with blue eyes

Flamecloud—Dark ginger tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Blackfrost(Blacktail)—Black tom with white marks above his eyes

Silverleaf—Light gray tabby she-cat with white paws, flank, and tail-tip, blue eyes

Sunfeather—Ginger tom with amber eyes and a white feather-shaped birthmark on his chest **Apprentice, Riverpaw**

Hawkstripe—Dark brown tabby tom with a single golden-brown stripe on his face, brown eyes

**Apprentices: **Silverpaw—Slightly large white tom with silver and black streaks running from his forehead down to his tail, black ear tufts, dark green eyes

Finchpaw—Gray tom with darker stripes and green eyes

Briarpaw—Brown and black she-cat with green eyes

Gorgepaw—Dark gray tom with amber eyes

Applepaw—White she-cat with black stripes

Riverpaw—Silver she-cat with black specks on her back

**Queens: **Spottedtail—White she-cat with gray spots on her tail and has only three paws, green eyes (mother of Flamefur's kits, Stripekit(ginger tabby tom), Thornkit(dark gray tom), and Sandkit(pale ginger and white she-cat) former loner along with her sister, Dewheart in ShadowClan

Doefeather—Light dusty brown she-cat (mother of Snowykit(white she-cat, blue eyes) and Kestrelkit(mottled brown tom with green eyes)

Gingerfire—Dark ginger she-cat with blue eyes (mother of Nightshadow's kits, Branchkit(dark brown tom with one white foot), Lilykit(light ginger she-cat with darker ginger stripes), and Bearkit(black tom, amber eyes)

Tansyleaf—Blue she-cat with green eyes (mother of Featherkit(light silvery she-cat)

**Elders: **Milkeyes—Gray tabby tom with milky eyes, blind _(my own)_

Sandfoot—Dark ginger tom with white on his muzzle, Gingerfire's father

**Cats Outside Clans: **Napoleon—Small ginger tabby tom with green eyes, Deathpaw's friend

Succubus—Pure black she-cat with eerie yellow eyes

Rhino—Solid gray tom with yellow eyes, brother of Fernstem; loner

Lily—Cream she-cat with brown paws and green eyes, kittypet; sister of Fernstem

Silva—Light silver tabby tom with a white underbelly and right back paw, blue eyes; has slightly curved fangs, one sticks out a bit, loner

Jingle—Black tom with yellow eyes, kittypet

Mistletoe—Light gray she-cat with green eyes, kittypet

Lizard—Light brown tabby tom, green eyes, rogue

Smokey—A petite pale blue-gray she-cat with dark blue eyes and fluffy fur; loner, previous kittypet until a few moons ago

**Deceased: **_(I don't know, I just thought because there was so many that I'd just list them here)_

Beachcrevice—Used to be brother of Hawkfrenzy

Runningbreeze's brother—Nameless, killed by Darkfoot and Fishsplash

Vinekit—Sister of Darkwing; she died as a kit to Greencough

Gingerflame—Light ginger she-cat, old mate of Withertail; she often visits him in dreams

Icekit and Gorsekit—Silverpaw's two sisters who wandered off one day, supposedly deceased

Napoleon's mother—Nameless

Creekpaw—She dies in the near future, causing Griffinpaw to spiral into a deep depression; she falls off a cliff

Stormcloud—Died in battle, used to be mother of Sparrowfeather, Poppyheart, and Nightclaw

Stormkit and Graykit—Siblings of Sunfeather, both died of Greencough

Heatherpelt—Sister of Sunfeather, died shortly after becoming a warrior

Hawkstripe's and Nightheart's parents—Nameless, died shortly after Hawkstripe and Nightheart became warriors

** First Chapter coming ASAP! Thank you all for your reviews when I needed your cats!**


	3. Chapter 1: ThunderClan

**First Chapter!!! Excitement is building...**

**Chapter 1**

_**ThunderClan**_

_ Moonkit stumbled, giggling softly_ as her brother missed his mark when he pounced. "Ha! Missed me Seedkit!" she teased.

Seedkit crouched down again. "Not this time!" he yowled. Moonkit squealed, and she raced away as her brother chased her down. Larkwing, eating a mouse near the apprentices' den, snorted in annoyance as the two kits barreled past her.

"Watch it! You don't want to ruffle your fur for your apprentice ceremony." She chuckled as the two kits came to a stop. Moonkit licked her shoulder, hiding her embarrassment. Apprentices did not act this way.

But Seedkit looked unfazed. "Can you believe it, Larkwing? We're to be apprentices!" He danced around in a circle, his tail curled up in delight. Their mother Brackenmask exited the nursery, with Clovergrass and her kits following behind. Oakstar yowled for a Clan meeting, and Brackenmask hastily licked her kits' fur back; soon, Moonkit and Seedkit were ready for their ceremony.

"Moonkit, Seedkit, come forward." Oakstar boomed from the top of the Highledge. Moonkit scrambled up the rocks, the new-leaf sun shining above her. Seedkit was already at the top, kneading his paws impatiently as he waited for his sister.

As soon as Moonkit had situated herself next to her brother, Oakstar began. "I, Oakstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two kits. Seedkit, do you promise to train hard to learn the ways of a warrior?"

Seedkit's voice trembled as he answered. "I do."

"Then from this day forth, you shall be known as Seedpaw until you receive your warrior name. Kestrelpelt, I know you have been waiting for an apprentice. You shall be Seedpaw's mentor." Seedpaw hopped down off of Highledge, and touched noses with his new mentor. Moonkit heard the other warriors mumbling congratulations.

Oakstar turned to Moonkit. "Moonkit, do you promise to train hard to learn the ways of a warrior?" Moonkit's voice never trembled as she answered, "I do."

"Then from this day forth you shall be known as Moonpaw, until you receive your warrior name. Your mentor will be Mossshadow. I trust that you both will work hard to learn, understand, and fight for the warrior code." Oakstar leaped off of the Highledge, Moonpaw following close behind. She touched noses with a sandy brown she-cat, and saw that her mentor looked excited for her first apprentice.

Scatteredpaw and Sootpaw raced up to Moonpaw and Seedpaw, their eyes shining. "Come on, we'll show you the apprentices' den." Scatteredpaw mewed, and Seedpaw shyly followed her. Moonpaw and Sootpaw exchanged a look, then trailed behind.

As Moonpaw entered the den, she saw that Scatteredpaw had already pointed out to Seedpaw which nest was his. Moonpaw soon took the nest directly next to him. "This is a nice den; much roomier than the nursery." Seedpaw commented. Scatteredpaw and Sootpaw exchanged a look.

"Well," Sootpaw began, "There are a lot of apprentices, and this is just it when it's empty."

Scatteredpaw added, "It can get pretty crowded when_ all_ of us are in here."

Moonpaw shook her head. "I don't care. As long as I'm finally training to be a warrior." Seedpaw nodded vigorously in agreement.

Mossshadow poked her head through the entrance. "Moonpaw, Seedpaw! It's time for your first patrol." Moonpaw and Seedpaw waved their tails in departure and followed Moonpaw's mentor out into the clearing.

By now the camp was awake and working. Tansypaw and Flickerpaw were working with their mentors on expanding the warriors' den, while Pebblepaw was working with Greenmoss to reinforce the nursery for future green-leaf storms that were sure to come. A cool breeze whipped around the hollow, making Moonpaw feel refreshed.

"Come on, Mossshadow! Let's go!" Moonpaw mewed excitedly, and headed for the thorn tunnel; but Mossshadow held her back.

"Whoa there, hold on. We've got to wait for Kestrelpelt." Seedpaw and Moonpaw waited anxiously for Kestrelpelt to finish his vole, then the patrol headed outside into the forest.

Moonpaw opened her jaws, taking in the familiar scents of mouse and vole. A nutty smell filled her jaws, and she looked to her mentor, puzzled.

"That's squirrel," Mossshadow mewed. She flicked her tail over to where a brown furry creature was scavenging for nuts on the forest floor. Seedpaw pricked his ears at the sight of prey, and smacked his jaws.

Kestrelpelt saw his eagerness, and faced the squirrel. "Now, to hunt a piece of prey successfully, you need to crouch down, like so," he demonstrated a crouch, "And pad toward it without making any sudden sounds or movements."

Mossshadow whispered, "Squirrels are among the hardest to catch—or track—successfully, so don't be disappointed if you don't catch one on your first try." As she spoke, Kestrelpelt continued to sneak up on the squirrel. Moonpaw watched as he made no sound, making his pawsteps light as falling leaves. She remarked how he stayed downwind, so the squirrel wouldn't catch his scent. He was almost on top of it, when the squirrel darted away. Kestrelpelt followed in hot pursuit, and disappeared into the undergrowth. Mossshadow and the apprentices waited, and soon Kestrelpelt returned with the squirrel in his jaws.

"Great catch," Moonpaw remarked, and Kestrelpelt buried his kill for later. The patrol continued on, and soon Moonpaw spotted a mouse shuffling in a bush. She dropped into a crouch, and Mossshadow adjusted her so she was in the correct position, then watched as Moonpaw padded forward. She tried to keep her steps light, but stumbled and fell on the ground hard; the mouse turned, squeaked, and scurried away back into the deeper part of the bush. Moonpaw gave chase, and ignored the cries of "Wait!" shouted by her mentor.

She followed the mouse, and saw it scurry under a holly bush. She pawed around for it, and dragged it back out by the tail. She bit hard on its back, giving a purr of satisfaction as it fell limp at her paws.

A deep voice alerted her. "And just what do you think your doing?" Moonpaw was suddenly aware of the sour scents around her, and looked up; only to be face-to-face with a ShadowClan patrol.

**Dun dun duuuuuuuuuunnnnnn! Next chapter here.**


	4. Chapter 2: ShadowClan

**Here's Chapter 2. I did two chapters in one day (I am excited; can't you tell?)**

**!!!!!!!!  
**

**Chapter 2**

_**ShadowClan**_

_ Skullpaw prowled through the pines, ambition _prickling his pelt. He enjoyed the sweet sensation, and didn't try to shoo away the dark thoughts that appeared in his mind. This was his first patrol as an apprentice, and was slightly disappointed that his twin brother Deathpaw wouldn't be accompanying him. But, it hardly had crossed his mind to ask to be a part of his patrol instead. Skullpaw had his own plans; he was to meet his rogue friend, Napoleon, by the RiverClan border first thing, but he was delayed his mission as his patrol showed him the ThunderClan border first. His plan to rule the Clans would start to enfold from here on out, until he would become the powerful leader he envisioned.

His mentor, Bearstripe, sniffed the air at the borderline of pines and forest, a grounding the patrol of Lightfeather, Snowfang, Blackpaw, and Skullpaw to a halt. "Skullpaw, Blackpaw, this is the ThunderClan border. From then on is off—"

A rustle in the bush in from of him cut Bearstripe off, and Skullpaw picked up a muffled squeak and a purr. Bearstripe padded past the bush, and suddenly hissed, "And just what do you think your doing?"

Skullpaw padded up behind him and saw to his surprise a sleek black she-cat with ice blue eyes. She had a dead mouse at her paws, and a frightened look was on her face.

"A ThunderClan cat!" Blackpaw cried, her pelt bristling. Skullpaw slit his eyes.

"Stealing prey?" Snowfang spat, her long fangs bared. The black she-cat's eyes widened at the sight of them, and began to back away.

"Not so fast," Bearstripe growled, and pinned her tail to the ground. She squealed, and struggled to free herself.

Skullpaw padded up to sniff her. His eyes narrowed even more. "What should we do with her?" He enjoyed this young she-cat's fear.

"Why don't we start rrriippping her ears off," Blackpaw offered, stretching the word so it sounded more intimidating. The rest of the patrol snickered, their claws sliding out menacingly.

To Skullpaw's surprise, the she-cat stood her ground, a determined look in here eyes. "I-I'm not afraid of you." Her own claws slid out, but her eyes were level and calm. Skullpaw observed her determination, an ambitious gleam in his eye. She could be useful…

"Moonpaw! There you are. We heard voices and—" a brown tabby tom came barreling through the trees on ThunderClan territory, and he skidded to a halt as soon as he saw the ShadowClan patrol on the other side. The rest of the ThunderClan patrol followed close behind, and a sandy brown she-cat dared to stand up to Bearstripe, right at the edge of the border.

"Back off. She's a new apprentice." The she-cat spat, and Skullpaw saw relief flood into the she-cat's, Moonpaw's, eyes.

Snowfang hissed behind Skullpaw, and he felt his own pelt begin to bristle. Good recruit or not, this cat was still a trespasser.

"She was _trespassing _and _hunting _on our territory." Lightfeather hissed, and Snowfang stuck her face into the sandy she-cat's.

"She's a new apprentice, and was chasing the mouse from our own territory." The sandy she-cat retorted, and the two she-cats looked on the brink of a fight when a bronze-colored tom laid his tail-tip gently on the sandy she-cat's shoulder.

"Come, Mossshadow. Bearstripe, our apprentice meant no harm. She's barely learned about borders yet." The bronze tom mewed calmly to the ShadowClan cats. The black she-cat hung her head.

Bearstripe paused a moment before answering, "ThunderClan should keep better track of their apprentices—_and _the warrior code." Bearstripe flicked his tail toward his patrol, and Skullpaw followed behind his own Clan as the ThunderClan cats hurriedly scurried back into their trees.

"Don't think that this is over," Snowfang spat, and Mossshadow hissed over her shoulder as she disappeared through the bushes.

_Stupid ThunderClan. Never did follow the warrior code completely. _Skullpaw thought to himself. But he couldn't stop thinking about that she-cat. She had shown such courage and determination against the whole of the ShadowClan patrol; she was foolish, of course, for being arrogant, but she could be trained; and not just in the ways of the warrior code, but in the ways of Skullpaw, soon to be the greatest leader of all of the Clans…

Skullpaw broke away from the patrol as soon as he reached the RiverClan border, saying he wanted to do some "hunting practice" alone. Blackpaw offered to train with him, but Skullpaw ignored her and raced away through the pines. He felt the comfort of pine needles on his paws, and felt renewed energy as he made his way to RiverClan territory.

He had planned to meet Napoleon at the Large MonsterPlace, as he had called it, at the edge of both Clans' territories, right under the half-bridge. Skullpaw slowed as he heard the steady rumble of monsters in the distance, and suddenly the trees parted to reveal a large plain of what looked like a Thunderpath, with monsters crouching in tiny spaces among it. Skullpaw gulped, held in his fears, and headed onto it, racing straight for the half-bridge. A couple of Twoleg kits squealed and pointed at him as he streaked across the grounds, but he took no notice. He finally reached the half-bridge, and peered under it for any signs of ginger tabby fur. He crawled below, flopping down in exhaustion from his run. As he struggled to catch his breath, a small ginger tabby crawled out of a hiding place below tightly wound pieces of brown vine and sat down beside the white apprentice.

"There you are. I was starting to think you wouldn't show." The tabby mewed slowly, licking his shoulder nonchalantly.

Skullpaw sat up straight. "Napoleon." he dipped his head. "I bring new news that will benefit my—our plan." Napoleon pricked his ears but didn't turn his way.

Skullpaw paused. "Go on." Napoleon mewed smoothly.

"Well, today there was this she-cat…"

**Here are your cats! I was excited to write about them, with their viscous (yet enchanting) personalities. I kinda switched Skullpaw's and Deathpaw's personalities, but I will make sure that Napoleon is still as devilish as you made him, Hi, my name is slim shady. But, hey, this is my story, right?  
**


	5. Chapter 3: RiverClan

**Chapter 3! YAY!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**Chapter 3**

_**RiverClan**_

_ Tinypaw rolled her eyes as _her mother licked her ears fiercely. "Now Tinypaw, I don't want you to work too hard on your training. If you're tired or feel sick, you can always—"

"I know, I know, stop if I'm tired," Tinypaw interrupted, anxious to join her first patrol. She would _not _let her mother baby her all through her apprenticeship, and often wished her mom had not volunteered to be her mentor. But still, Tinypaw knew that it was out of worry that her mother babied her; when she was a kit, Tinypaw had caught a horrible case of Greencough, and her mother had been so worried she hadn't let Tinypaw play with her littermates even when she was healthy. Tinypaw didn't mind at first, until one particular incident.

Tinypaw had been playing with her den mates in the nursery at a game of keep-away, and Tinypaw had stumbled and fell into a thorn bush. Only her paw had been pricked, thankfully, but her mother had kept her inside for the next two days; the other kits had teased her about being babied, and Tinypaw had been too embarrassed to play with them again when she was allowed outside.

Now that Tinypaw was an apprentice, she aimed to be the best she could be without her mother's help.

Tinypaw followed Icepaw and Scorchpaw out of the camp, relieved to be away from her mother's hovering figure. She focused on the cats in front of her, and smelled the reeds and grasses around her. She loved the feel of cool water running down her sides, as any cat born in RiverClan would, and longed to be a warrior where her mother would realize she wasn't a kit anymore. Scorchpaw's bright ginger pelt stuck out in the gray-brown landscape of the marsh, but Tinypaw's small form and mixed pelt blended perfectly.

The patrol made it's way to the lakeshore, where Firefang was showing Icepaw the proper fishing technique. Nightfall was briefing Tinypaw and Scorchpaw, since Tinypaw's mother was not there to teach her.

"Now, don't be discouraged if you don't catch a fish on the first try," Nightfall explained, but Scorchpaw hardly looked as if she were listening; Tinypaw, however, was hanging on her every word. Maybe if Tinypaw could go back to camp with a couple of plump fish, her mother would realize that she could fend for herself…

"Tinypaw! Are you listening? It's your turn first." Scorchpaw shoved Tinypaw's side, startling her out of her reverie. She slowly approached the lakeshore, her eyes wary as she stared into the murky water.

"Don't hesitate; it won't catch prey," Firefang meowed, holding his fish on the ground until it lay still.

Tinypaw nodded and followed the instructions she had heard. Nightfall had reminded her not to let her shadow touch the water, and to sit still and be patient; she also warned to slash at where the fish would be, not where it was, so you caught the fish dead-on when it swam to the spot you were aiming for.

Tinypaw waited, her paw raised, and kept an eye out for any streaks of silver scales. One flitted past, and Tinypaw mewed with delight as she hooked a fish on her claws. She held it to the ground by its gills, forcing the air out of it. The fish soon stopped flopping, and she was relieved to find that she caught it successfully.

"Well done, Tinypaw." Nightfall praised, and Tinypaw felt warmth grow inside her from the she-cat's words. Nearby, Icepaw was struggling to keep her fish on the ground; she giggled as Scorchpaw uttered a curse as she flipped backwards into the water, scattering silver droplets onto the whole patrol. Icepaw, feeling the spray full-on, splashed Scorchpaw in the face with water, and soon all three apprentices were splashing and purring and making such a fuss that even their mentors' cries of "Stop!" couldn't be heard above the din.

A huge wave soaking Nightfall made her lash her tail in annoyance. "You all! Stop it; are you kits?" She shrieked, and the apprentices all halted in their last positions, water dripping from all of their whiskers.

Tinypaw hung her head, but only to hide the growing smile on her face. Scorchpaw and Icepaw giggled, and Nightfall's eyes softened. Firefang nudged her.

"Come on, Nightfall. They were only having a bit of fun." Firefang chuckled, and the RiverClan patrol started back to their duties.

* * *

As the patrol made its way to the ShadowClan border, Tinypaw noticed a streak of white fur running across the Large MonsterPlace. She saw two Twoleg kits squeal and point in that direction, but the streak was gone; it had only been there for a brief moment.

Curious, Tinypaw squinted closer and saw that the small white streak had stopped at the edge of the half-bridge, where a water monster lay in sleep bobbing on the water. Tinypaw wondered briefly how it stayed on top of the water without getting tired of floating, and looked around to see if anyone was looking. When she saw the coast was clear, she bolted away toward the half-bridge where the streak had disappeared.

Tinypaw slowed as the sound of voices reached her ears from underneath the half-bridge, and she crouched down underneath a coil of brown vine that hid her pelt perfectly among the gray, hard earth and brown wood of the half-bridge. Her claws scraped the ground. She strained her ears to listen to the faint voices ahead of her. There was a young voice, most likely a young apprentice's, and a smooth, dangerous voice that made Tinypaw's pelt crawl.

"Go on," The smooth voice murmured.

"Well, there was this she-cat…she was ThunderClan, and had spirit; uncontrolled, but still power that could be useful." The apprentice voice answered, and Tinypaw shivered as the smooth voice chuckled darkly.

"I suspect that you will continue to prove useful, Skullpaw," The smooth voice mewed, and Tinypaw's eyes widened. There was a pause, then the smooth voice continued, "I have found that a loner, who lives near my barn, is quite strong and rebellious; he could be useful, if only he would listen to our reasonings." the cat sighed, and Tinypaw heard Skullpaw give a nervous chuckle. "Don't worry, apprentice. You shall still be the leader you imagine someday, but there are some things we need before we can fully," the cat's voice dropped to a whisper, and Tinypaw could only catch the words, "RiverClan," and WindClan." She gulped, and her paw suddenly slipped under her and rolled a loose pebble into the lake with a _plop_. The voices were silenced, and Tinypaw held her breath as a small ginger paw reached out to swipe at the pebble. She heard a growl, and a foul smell of crow-food and rat filled her nostrils as a ginger tabby made his face right next to the wall that separate Tinypaw from the other cats.

"Skullpaw, I do believe we have a visitor."

**Napoleon has bad breath. Needs a mint. Next little Chappie comin' up!**


	6. Chapter 4: WindClan

**Here's another chapter! For some reason, FanFiction wouldn't let me post this until the morning.(?)This one was a bit slow, but still, FanFiction; you don't have to be so stubborn.**

**_Whoo!_**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**Chapter 4**

_**WindClan**_

_Riverpaw padded next to Sunfeather, _excited to be an apprentice at last. The sweet feeling of the wind in her fur made her further excited to catch her first rabbit. Her brother Gorgepaw and sister Applepaw were also accompanying her on this patrol, along with their mentors; the sweet-smelling grasses of heather and gorse were scattered around the moors of WindClan territory, and the sounds of sheep and dogs could be heard in the distance.

"Hey Sunfeather? Have we reached a good enough spot yet?" Riverpaw asked her mentor, her paws kneading the ground anxiously. Sunfeather didn't answer, just stopped and sniffed the air. He bristled as the barks of dogs came closer, then relaxed as they faded away.

"Riverpaw, what do you scent?" Sunfeather asked, his ginger tail sweeping back and forth. Riverpaw nodded anxiously, and opened her jaws to let the moor winds reach her scent glands. She squinted, smelling many swirling scents, then began to identify them.

"Um, there's some gorse, and heather, and uh…rabbit!" Her eyes flew open in excitement, and Asterfall chuckled lightly, his intelligent ice blue eyes shining.

Applepaw leaped into the air. "Come on! Let's go find one!" She started to race away, then realized that the patrol wasn't following. She padded back, her head down in embarrassment.

Gorgepaw sniffed deeply. "I think I can smell rabbit coming from that bush." He whispered, and the patrol crept up to it. Behind the bush, hidden beneath fallen branches, was a small hole; Riverpaw's mouth watered at the fresh scent of rabbit wreathed inside and outside of the hole.

"Now, if you want to catch a rabbit in a hole, crouch down next to it like this," Sunfeather demonstrated, "and then wait with your claws unsheathed until a rabbit comes out."

Riverpaw saw Gorgepaw stifle a groan. "That'll take _ages_." he whined.

"Fine, then you, Applepaw, Asterfall and I can take you to practice chasing rabbits." Harestep mewed, and flicked her light gray tail at the others to follow. Applepaw and Gorgepaw bounded after her, while Riverpaw stayed with Sunfeather to wait at the open rabbit hole. She crouched down on the other side, and gazed intently inside.

It felt like a whole moon had passed before movement stirred inside the hole. A rabbit poked its head out and, not seeing the cats as they had blended into the landscape, hopped about looking for food. Sunfeather motioned for Riverpaw to stay quiet, then signaled for both of them to creep up behind it.

The rabbit had gotten preoccupied at digging up a root of some sort, and still the two cats crept behind it. Riverpaw pushed down her excitement as it was making her quiver, then watched as Sunfeather finally pounced at the rabbit; it streaked away quickly, the two WindClan cats giving chase. Riverpaw relished the wonderful feeling of the breeze rushing past her, and felt the strength of her legs pumping under her as she gained speed. She felt like she was flying more than running. She caught up to the rabbit easily, and leaped on top of it. It made a small noise, then hunter and prey toppled head over feet into the heather.

Riverpaw blinked the grass out of her eyes, trying to stop the world from spinning. She saw with a purr of delight that she had the rabbit at her paws, stunned but not dead; she quickly dispatched it with a bite to the neck, and started back to where her mentor had stopped to sit and watch her catch.

"Great job; sort of," Sunfeather mewed, and Riverpaw licked her ruffled fur in embarrassment. "…The rolling after you pounced was incorrect, you need to work on your balance when you land." Riverpaw nodded, understanding completely. Even if she wasn't perfect now, she still had many more moons of training to learn.

She dragged her rabbit back to camp, where the other patrol soon returned with three more. Applepaw and Gorgepaw were carrying a plump rabbit together in their jaws, pride filling their steps as they dropped it on the prey-pile on the left of the clearing that was WindClan's camp. Mewling could be heard from the nursery as Riverpaw's mother, Gingerfire, tended to her new litter of kits. Milkeyes and Sandfoot were dozing near in the sunlight that streamed through an open cavity in the badger set they slept inside, and Darkwing was speaking nervously to Spottedfire at the entrance to the warriors' den.

"Wonder what he's so nervous about," Riverpaw jumped as Silverpaw appeared beside her; even if he was a large tom, he could sneak up easily behind anyone without making a sound.

"Silverpaw," Riverpaw breathed, recovering from her brief scare. Silverpaw looked to her, as if first acknowledging her presence beside him.

"How was your first hunting patrol?" Silverpaw asked; besides his size, he had a fairly normal voice of an apprentice.

"Great, actually, except for—well, a stumble." Riverpaw admitted, feeling foolish talking about her hunting failures to an educated apprentice.

"It's all right. We all slip up every once in a while." Silverpaw chuckled, and Riverpaw started to haul her rabbit to the elders' den.

As soon as she delivered her rabbit, she joined Sunfeather, Flamecloud, Eaglefather, and Silverleaf as they headed to patrol the borders.

Riverpaw struggled to catch up to her patrol as they raced for the RiverClan border near the Horseplace. Riverpaw slowed as the sound of horses' whinnying and stomping hooves reached her ears. She hesitated as the Horseplace came into view, and she saw the looming fences and great barn where the horses were kept not too far away.

Ever since a particularly quarreled Gathering at the island, RiverClan and WindClan had been arguing about which territory Horseplace belonged to; for now, it was WindClan's, and the moor-dwelling cats were taking advantage of the rich prey there. There were mice and rabbits and voles, all of the prey that WindClan had hardly tried.

Now, Sunfeather and Eaglefeather were heavily marking the new borders there, while Riverpaw went exploring around. She picked at the fence with her paw, and bristled as a horse barreled past her a split second later, auburn mane shining in the sun. Riverpaw took a deep breath to calm her heartbeat; something shiny caught her eye as she looked across the fenced-in lot. It flickered once, and she soon identified it as a round object with a picture of an eagle.

It was only a couple of fox-lengths away, and Riverpaw figured she could hide it and keep it as her special treasure. She glanced warily through the fence, and when she spotted no horses she streaked out from under the gate and toward the barn. A horse whinnied and screeched as it raced past in front of her, kicking dirt and grit into her eyes. As Riverpaw tried to return the way she had come, she was only met by more beating hooves, powerful legs, and fast-moving bodies; a strong silver hoof crunched into the side of her head, making a sickening crunch.

Riverpaw tried to make the world stop spinning, but blow after blow was delivered to her small body. As she finally made it to the edge of the barn, a horse, tied up by its snout, whinnied and launched its front feet into the air and sending them down hard on Riverpaw's spine; Riverpaw's braced herself, and then the world swirled into darkness.

On the other side of the lot, Sunfeather was screeching at Riverpaw to wake up, and two other Horseplace cats emerged from the side of a stack of hay to see what the fuss was about.

"My apprentice...my apprentice…" Sunfeather murmured over and over as he leaned heavily on Silverleaf; she tried her best to comfort him, but couldn't stop her own tears from spilling.

A RiverClan patrol of three cats came rushing up to see what was the matter, and Silverleaf and Flamecloud explained the sad news.

"It's Riverpaw. She was crushed by a horse." There was a shocked silence, with Sunfeather weeping in the backround.

**...Please review.  
**


	7. Chapter 5: RiverClan

**Here it is.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**Chapter 5**

_**RiverClan**_

_Tinypaw gulped, forcing air into her _lungs before shivering back into the shadows. For once, she relished her small stature as she blended in behind the vine completely.

The ginger tom poked his head out, sniffing deeply. "I smell RiverClan," He growled. Tinypaw held in a squeak of terror. "Come out now; you have been found."

There was a silence as Tinypaw considered her odds. Se could walk out now, and admit she had been listening and that she hadn't heard much; but then, the cats could decide to harm her. Her other choice was to hold her breath and run back across the stretch of land that separated the half-bridge from RiverClan territory, but she had no clue how fast the other cats could run and what they would do if they caught her.

Tinypaw decided to stay put, and hope for the best.

Skullpaw, hearing the ginger tom's hostility, quickly stated, "Well, we are on RiverClan territory, Napoleon. You must just be smelling that."

"No," Napoleon said tersely, "This one…smells close." There was another pause as the ginger tom, Napoleon, searched around with jaws parted; Tinypaw caught a glimpse of sharp fangs.

Suddenly, all three cats heard a faint whinnying in the distance near the Horseplace, and Napoleon bristled as if remembering a horrible thought.

"I must leave now. It sounds as if the cats at my barn have noticed my absence. Skullpaw, you shall further look into the news of this ThunderClan she-cat, and be on the lookout for more possible recruits." The tom Napoleon had turned his back on Tinypaw, and she uttered a small sigh of relief. She quietly padded out the other way, and as soon as the half-bridge was out of sight she broke into a run. She never stopped until she reached the safety of her camp.

Tinypaw? Where have you been?" Darkfoot questioned as Tinypaw galloped into the clearing. She stopped and panted, trying to grasp her breath as well as the strange meeting she had just witnessed.

What would a loner—more likely a rogue—want with a ThunderClan she-cat? Also, what was their idea of 'possible recruits' and for what? Tinypaw shook her head, trying to stop her thoughts from blowing around like scattered leaves in leaf-fall.

Tinypaw had never been one to nose around in other cats' business, but this secret seemed to mean more than just eavesdropped gossip around the Clans. What were those two cats, Skullpaw and Napoleon, planning? Tinypaw hated to say it, but she was eager to find out more.

It seemed as if StarClan had dropped her in the right place at the right time; it seemed as if they _wanted _her to figure it out.

Excited and frightened with this mystery, Tinypaw was surprised as a hollow spot caved in her belly. What if, while Tinypaw was on another border patrol, she saw the ginger tom Napoleon? And what if, upon scenting her, he recognized her as the cat who was spying…?

"Tinypaw! We need you and Swallowpaw to join a patrol to watch the WindClan border," Thunderbreeze called from across the clearing; Tinypaw shook away her thoughts and raced up to gather Swallowpaw for the patrol.

As soon as the patrol of Cougarfang, Moontail, and Fishslash were ready, the two apprentices followed as they headed out of camp toward the new WindClan border.

As soon as they drew near, heavy sobbing and wailing could be heard from the fences of the Horseplace. Tinypaw approached, pelt bristling, but relaxed slightly as she saw the WindClan cats were not looking for a fight.

A golden tom was kneeling at a small break in the Horseplace fence, leaning heavily on a silver tabby she-cat. Tinypaw saw he was muttering something, and as she approached she heard him clearly.

"My apprentice…my apprentice…" he whispered. He let out a long wail, screeching an apprentice's name. "Riverpaw!"

The silver she-cat tried to calm him down, but couldn't even stop her own tears from spilling.

Moontail rushed up to the border mark where the two cats sat. "What happened? Are you hurt?" It seemed as if all her hostility had faded at the sight of the anguished cats.

Fishslplash, however, approached with slit eyes. "How do we know this isn't a trap?" The silver WindClan she-cat gave him a glare, and he kept quiet. Two other WindClan apprentices were sitting side by side not far off, heads bowed in mourning.

Tinypaw looked to Cougarfang, who nodded his permission. Tinypaw dared to step over the border, along with three other of her Clanmates.

"What happened?" She asked.

"It's Riverpaw. She was crushed by a horse." A dark ginger she-cat mewed, her voice hollow with sadness. Cougarfang bristled in surprise, and the she-cat flicked her tail over to where an unmoving mass of gray fur lay at the edge of the barn. Nearby, a horse with a rope around its muzzle stood stomping and whinnying nervously.

"T-That's terrible," Swallowpaw whispered, and Tinypaw could only agree.

Cougarfang flicked his tail in Riverpaw's direction. "Come on. There are no more horses out now; we'll help you move the body." The WindClan cats were obviously surprised by his generosity after so much hostility had come between their two Clans, but none of them spoke up to refuse; although Fishsplash didn't look too happy.

"Swallowpaw, Tinypaw. Come with me to fetch her. Moontail and Fishsplash, please help to calm these cats and hear their story." Tinypaw always felt comforted by Cougarfang. She padded next to him and Swallowpaw as they made their way across the churned up ground. Tinypaw noticed the harsh indents of hooves in the dust, and shivered as she imagined being under one of them; poor Riverpaw.

Tinypaw padded up to Riverpaw and winced as she saw harsh hoof prints on her back and across her flank. A trickle of blood came from a particularly bad wound on her shoulder, and her eyes were glazed over.

Cougarfang leaned over her head, and then pulled back. "She's still breathing, but barely. She doesn't seem conscious." Tinypaw shivered; if she was unconscious, then why were eyes open?

Cougarfang hauled Riverpaw up on her shoulder, and Swallowpaw rushed to help. Tinypaw gingerly looked around for horses, then led her Clanmates back across the Horseplace.

The golden tom, as soon as the RiverClan cats had set Riverpaw down, rushed toward his apprentice and buried his muzzle in her fur. The silver she-cat on the other side of him lay down next to the tom, and the two other apprentices padded up as well.

Cougarfang cleared his throat. "She's still breathing; we can bring her to our medicine cat." The silver she-cat nodded, and together all of the cats headed back toward the RiverClan camp.

**Sorry if kinda shortish-Next chapter coming soon!**


	8. Chapter 6: WindClan

**The moment you've been waiting for!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**Chapter 6**

_**WindClan**_

_Riverpaw opened her eyes to find a cool _breeze blowing toward her. She sat up, enjoying the new peace that settled over her. It was as if a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders, and she felt as light as air. She padded forward, unsure of where she was going but knowing that it was safe.

Up ahead, a figure was walking toward her, a brown tabby tom. Riverpaw stopped and the new cat sat with unblinking eyes before her.

"…Are you…" Riverpaw mewed after a moment; she felt like she knew this cat, but she didn't know from where.

The tom dipped his head. "I am Onestar, former leader of WindClan." Riverpaw's eyes widened.

" You're a StarClan cat? But that must mean…" Riverpaw gasped, not wanting to accept the harsh conclusion she had come up with. She was dead!

"No no, Riverpaw. You were not meant to die so early." It was as if Onestar had read her mind. He shook his head, and Riverpaw let out a relieved sigh.

"…Then, why am I here?" Riverpaw asked, truly puzzled. She looked around.

_This must be StarClan's hunting grounds, where past WindClan and other Clan cats went after they died._ Riverpaw could just make out the faint forms of other dead cats chatting and hunting around the meadow.

Onestar took a moment to answer. "Riverpaw, you are on the brink between StarClan and reality. Your form here," Onestar flicked his tail at her, "Is slightly faded, but is growing stronger as your body in the Clans grows weaker. It's a complicated matter for an apprentice, but I assure you, you will not join us so early."

"How do you know?" Riverpaw whispered, gazing with wide eyes at her paws; they were nearly transparent but growing more solid by the second.

"Then again," Onestar sighed, "You might after all." He paced the ground, the grasses at his feet lush and springy. Flowers were growing everywhere on the moor, and forests were spread out around the place; Riverpaw hadn't noticed, but StarClan was beautiful.

"This place is beautiful," Riverpaw gasped, speaking her thoughts. Onestar nodded, but still paced the ground anxiously.

Riverpaw felt whole, more solid and stronger than the moment she got here. She was so entranced by everything there, all thoughts of her old life escaped her.

_Being dead wouldn't be _so_ bad…_

"No." Onestar growled, and the warm sensation came to an abrupt stop. "You cannot join us now. You have a destiny before you, along with three other cats from each of the Clans." Riverpaw's eyes widened at Onestar's sudden mood change.

Suddenly, Riverpaw felt a tugging sensation in her feet, and she began to be pulled backward, out of this beautiful meadow and into the bleakness of reality.

"What's happening? Onestar help! It hurts!" Riverpaw yowled; a searing pain had entered her entire body, and it was all she could do to hold in a shriek.

"Good bye, Riverpaw. We will meet again…" Onestar's voice was but a faded call in the distance. Riverpaw closed her eyes, willing the pain to stop.

Another darkness settled in her, and she drifted back into the unconscious.

"Riverpaw? Riverpaw, wake up! It's me, Gorgepaw. Wake up, Riverpaw!" Riverpaw opened her eyes to find herself in a medicine den. It smelled fishy, like RiverClan, although her brother's WindClan scent was unmistakable.

"Gorgepaw?" Riverpaw croaked. A strange medicine cat hurried over to her with water-soaked moss in her jaws; she squeezed a couple of drops out onto Riverpaw's tongue, and her head cleared enough that she could sit up.

The world swayed around her, and her head felt as if a woodpecker had nested there. "Wh-Where am I?" she murmured. A dark brown tom approached her, as well as her brother, and each steadied her on either side.

"That was a nasty encounter with those horses you had, Riverpaw," The dark brown tom mewed, "Your healed and your wounds are patched up, but you better lie down again if you want to be back at your camp by moonrise." The tom's voice was velvety and comforting, and Riverpaw was reminded of smooth water running through a cave.

"Echopaw, Gorgepaw, giver her some room to breathe," the silver medicine cat meowed, and the toms reluctantly exited the den.

The medicine cat faced her, and Riverpaw saw that her green eyes were kind. Riverpaw tried to stand, but her legs buckled under her weight and she fell down again; the medicine cat helped to get her settled again, then sighed deeply.

"I'm Mistpool, the RiverClan medicine cat," the medicine cat said, digging through her herb stores, "I take it you're the famous Riverpaw."

Riverpaw looked at her, puzzled. "Famous?" she questioned.

"Yes. All of the apprentices are talking about you—especially the toms." Mistpool snorted in disgust, then continued to gather her herbs together.

There was a long pause before Mistpool spoke again. "So…" her voice dropped down to a whisper as she leaned in close to Riverpaw. "What was it like in StarClan?" Riverpaw smelled fresh water and mouse on her breath.

Riverpaw's eyes widened. "How did you know about that?" But the she-cat just hung there expectantly. Riverpaw sighed. "It was beautiful."

"What made you come back to us?" Mistpool asked, backing away to start a poultice of yarrow.

"Well, I met an old leader of WindClan, named Onestar, and he said I couldn't stay because…because I still had…" Riverpaw searched for the word; she didn't think she should tell another Clan's medicine cat that she was chosen for a prophecy. "Business, to do here." Riverpaw concluded.

Mistpool spat out the poultice onto her paw. She rubbed it into a wound on Riverpaw's shoulder, which immediately cooled. "I've never heard nor seen a cat go to StarClan and return before. I would like to question you further…" She nudged poppy seeds in Riverpaw's direction. "But you need your rest."

Riverpaw yawned, secretly glad she didn't have to answer anything more; she didn't think she could put into words what she had felt or seen in StarClan, let alone be precise.

She licked up the poppy seeds, and curled up with her tail on her nose. Maybe tomorrow things would be clearer. Riverpaw's eyes drooped.

_Maybe tomorrow…things will be right…_

**Maybe they will be. I will update sooner than later. I'm sick today, so I might get a LOT more writing done than I usually do.  
**


	9. Chapter 7: ShadowClan

**Today, I am sick. I have a cold. I have been sitting on the couch like a lazy bum all day, typing and reading and posting story chapters.**

***coughcough***

**Missing School! Yay!**

***cough***

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**Chapter 7**

_**ShadowClan**_

_ Skullpaw gave a hiss of annoyance as Grasskit _and Frenzykit tumbled into him, knocking away what was left of his half-eaten mouse.

"Buzz off!" He hissed as the two tom-kits got off of him; Frenzykit was giggling, but Grasskit looked genuinely hurt at his comment.

"Grasskit, Frenzykit. Come into the nursery. And for StarClan's sake, apologize to Skullpaw!" their mother, Fernstem, came out of the nursery with Waterkit and Crevicekit following behind her. The five tom-kits of Fernstem were among the mischievous in the Clan, but not one cat—except Skullpaw—thought they were annoying.

Grasskit looked down at his feet. "Sorry, Skullpaw." He mumbled. Frenzykit just muttered something unintelligible and raced off to be with his other brothers.

Skullpaw just growled and flicked his tail. He padded toward where Deathpaw was speaking with Blackpaw by the fresh-kill pile, and felt a tinge of jealousy at how calm and easy he was with she-cats.

Skullpaw had never really been a person who she-cats flocked to or crushed on; it was always his twin brother Deathpaw. It wasn't that Skullpaw wasn't friendly, which he was most of the time, it was just that Deathpaw was…easier to talk to. Whenever Blackpaw tried to ask Skullpaw something, he would immediately turn her down and go back to his own thoughts. Deathpaw listened and joked with everyone he met, and acted so normal.

_But we're twins for StarClan's sake. We look the same in appearance. Why would they flock to him instead of me?_ Skullpaw shook his head, stole one longing glance at Blackpaw, and then joined a patrol as fast as he could.

Skullpaw followed Smokefoot and Ravenclaw as they headed toward the ThunderClan border, and remembered what Napoleon had told him.

_"Look for any weaknesses within and outside of the Clans. Remember to look for potential recruits. Keep an eye on that ThunderClan she-cat…"_

Skullpaw aimed to be good this moon so he could be a part of the Gathering, where he could meet and befriend some possible recruits for Napoleon; including the she-cat. Skullpaw and Napoleon were planning a revolt against the Clans, and badly needed other cats to see their ways. After they had taken over, Napoleon promised that Skullpaw could be the leader of them all, and dispose any cats he wanted. It was a wonderful dream for Skullpaw; he dreamed of being the leader of a great Clan, made of all of the Clans combined, that would be fair, strong, and powerful in the mind and body. He planned to find other Clans like his own, and take them over, and then keep expanding his territory until he could rule the whole of the wilderness…

Skullpaw shook away his ambitious thoughts, focusing on the task at hand. They would take it one step at a time.

He padded behind Smokefoot as the pine trees thinned until the Twolegpath that bordered ThunderClan and ShadowClan territory could be seen. Skullpaw crinkled his nose at the acrid scent of ThunderClan; he knew he would never venture into their territory; yet, anyways.

Ravenclaw nosed around the bushes. "No sign of anything, except moss." He reported, and Smokefoot marked the borders. All ShadowClan cats were ordered by Duskstar to look around carefully while inspecting the borders; they loathed when cats trespassed and then returned.

"Come on, Skullpaw. What're you staring at anyways?" Smokefoot called. Skullpaw had been looking at a tree with slit eyes; he thought he saw something move in the shadows, and a familiar scent wreathed around him. He shook his head to clear it, and followed his Clanmates up the hill towards the rest of the border.

"Hey, Skullpaw. Would you like to hunt with me and Deathpaw?" Blackpaw mewed hopefully as Skullpaw returned from his patrol. These days, Skullpaw refused to look her in the eyes, and she wondered why he was being so mean.

Blackpaw's heart sunk as she realized Skullpaw wasn't listening, and sighed. She always tried to talk to Skullpaw when he was alone, and often tried to bond, but it seemed as if her love wouldn't penetrate the dark aura that surrounded him.

Deathpaw padded up to stand beside her, their pelts brushing. He laid his tail-tip on her shoulder, steering her away from Skullpaw's direction. "Come along now, Blackpaw. We need to go now if we want to hunt." Blackpaw looked into his friendly yellow eyes, and almost gave in as Leopardpaw did whenever he talked to her. But Blackpaw knew that for now, her heart belonged to Skullpaw.

She flicked her ears, thinking. "Why don't I try again to get Skullpaw to join us?" Deathpaw looked slightly annoyed, but let her go so she could talk to him.

Blackpaw raced over to where Skullpaw was lying in a sunny patch near the water pool, and she raised her head high.

"Skullpaw?"

Skullpaw looked up at her, then looked back down again. He sighed, "What is it, Blackpaw?" He sounded bored, and Blackpaw was only slightly discouraged.

"Would you like to go hunting with me and Deathpaw? We're leaving right now." Blackpaw's voice quivered, but her heart soared as she saw he was considering.

After a moment's pause, Skullpaw nodded. "All right, Blackpaw. I'll go." Blackpaw held in a purr of satisfaction, and together they walked back over to Deathpaw.

Blackpaw noticed that neither of the brothers seemed too happy to see the other, and she tipped her head to the side, puzzled. "What? Shouldn't you be happy that you're going on a patrol together?"

"No." Deathpaw and Skullpaw said in unison, and Blackpaw found it unnerving how two cats could sound the same and look the same but have very different personalities.

"All right then. Let's go." Blackpaw stated, and without another word Blackpaw exited the camp, Deathpaw and Skullpaw following behind.

**Go Blackpaw! The twins both don't know what to do with her ;-)**


	10. Chapter 8: ThunderClan

**Here's Chapter 8! I was having so much fun writing about your cats, I forgot to write about mine! XD**

**Finally, ThunderClan part 2.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**Chapter 8**

_**ThunderClan**_

_ Moonpaw skidded to a halt, hissing as she _tried to throw Seedpaw off of her back. She shook him around, but that only made the grip of his claws tighter. She resolved to lie flat on her back, and she gave a purr of satisfaction as her brother let out a strangled yelp from under her.

"Had enough?" Moonpaw chuckled, and Seedpaw let out a breathless sigh. Moonpaw got up, shaking her pelt to get the sand out. Seedpaw slowly stood again, pretending to gasp desperately for air.

"Boy! You sure are heavy; are you sneaking an extra mouse at suppertime?" Seedpaw teased, and Moonpaw let out a _mrrow _of laughter and cuffed her brother over the ear.

Kestrelpelt and Mossshadow had been watching from a side of the sandy training hollow, and Mossshadow padded over to praise their fighting skills.

"It seems that you two have that move mastered," Kestrelpelt remarked, "Now, here's another one to try; don't be upset if you don't get it, it's a challenging move."

Moonpaw felt proud that her mentor and Seedpaw's were willing to teach them a challenging move when they had only been apprentices for a couple of days. It made her feel closer to becoming a warrior.

"Now," Mossshadow mewed, "It begins with a crouch…" She dropped into a crouch, and Kestrelpelt leaped at her; she swerved to the side, and when Kestrelpelt landed, she tucked her paws under the crooks of his back feet and flipped them over, sending Kestrelpelt flying forwards until he was on his back, belly exposed.

"Try it." Kestrelpelt mewed, heaving himself up back onto his paws. "Now, Seedpaw, you take my place first, and then we'll switch." Seedpaw nodded, and each apprentice moved to one side of the clearing. Moonpaw dropped into a crouch, and as Seedpaw jumped she swerved to the side as Mossshadow had done. Seedpaw landed, and Moonpaw quickly tried to hook her paws under the crooks of his feet while he steadied himself. She found her mark and attempted to flip him over, but Seedpaw just sat on top of her easily. Moonpaw struggled, and finally let out an exasperated sigh.

"Flat as a river pebble," Seedpaw meowed triumphantly, and let Moonpaw stand back up. She shook herself again, blinking to get sand out of her eyes.

"Great try," Mossshadow mewed, "Now switch places."

Seedpaw took up a crouch, and as Moonpaw leaped he swerved and went immediately behind Moonpaw as soon as she landed. He hooked his paws and flipped her over, making Moonpaw yelp as she tried not to show her belly. She flipped over again and pinned her brother to the ground, breathless.

"Now who's a river pebble?" Moonpaw teased, and let Seedpaw up again.

"You both need to work on flipping over your opponent," Kestrelpelt meowed, "But Seedpaw, you executed the perfect speed in reaching your destinations." Seedpaw curled his tail in delight. Mossshadow nudged Moonpaw.

"You were great with your speed too, what with disarming Seedpaw like that." Moonpaw felt slightly better at her mentor's praise.

"I think we've had enough training for today," Kestrelpelt mewed, and the two apprentices nodded their heads gratefully. The battle moves had left them exhausted. "Come on. You two can eat, then see to the other duties around the camp."

Moonpaw dragged a mass of brambles into place at the entrance to the nursery, moving them with her teeth so the sharp thorns would scrape anyone who tried to scrabble through; it would be safe enough for the queens to get in and out of due to a small gap at the bottom, which led into the safe hollow inside.

Beside her, Pebblepaw was struggling to move a particularly heavy piece of bracken into place at the other side of the nursery. "Here, let me help you with that," Moonpaw offered, and Pebblepaw let out a relieved sigh. Moonpaw helped him drag the bracken, and arranged it so that it wouldn't let in any of the cold when leaf-bare came.

After everything was finished, Pebblepaw mewed, "Thanks, Moonpaw. You're very kind." Moonpaw felt something stir in her heart at his praise. Pebblepaw was one of the smallest of the apprentices, and was very shy. He didn't talk much, but that was often because he was lonely. He was the only one that survived in his mother's last litter, and often felt that Brindlefire retired to the elders' den because of him.

Moonpaw flicked her tail over his ears. "You're welcome. Want to go hunting with me?" Pebblepaw brightened a bit, and the two headed for the thorn tunnel.

As soon as they exited, however, a harsh screeching filled the hollow behind them. The apprentices whirled around, bewildered, and soon located the source.

Harpiekit lay twitching beside a small hole on the bottom of the cliff, Clovergrass wailing beside her.

"My kit! Oh, somebody help my kit!" She wailed, and Moonpaw quickly dashed toward the medicine den.

"Mosspatch, Ashpaw! Something's wrong with Harpiekit!" Moonpaw yowled at the entrance; both medicine cat and apprentice briskly gathered any herbs they would need, and followed Moonpaw to where Harpiekit lay.

Moonpaw saw with despair that she was hardly breathing. What had happened? She thought. Had anyone seen?

"Stand back," Mosspatch ordered, and all of the warriors and apprentices that had gathered around backed away. "Ashpaw, grab me some tansy, horsetail, and juniper berries. Now!" Ashpaw scrambled back toward the medicine den.

Moonpaw watched as Mosspatch checked Harpiekit''s breathing, then spread out the herbs she had. Ashpaw returned moments later with his herbs, and the two set to work.

"What happened?" Ashpaw demanded while his mentor chewed up the tansy.

"I saw," rasped Marshwater, "She was playing with a ball of moss, then suddenly a snake came out of the hole and bit her leg." Clovergrass nearly fainted, and Gingereyes had to hold her upright.

"All right," Mosspatch mewed; her voice was strangely calm. "Ashpaw, feed her the juniper. It should make her cough up some of the poison." Ashpaw nodded and did so; Harpiekit coughed, and an oozing green liquid came out of her mouth.

"Good. Now I'm going to suck out the poison from the bite." Mosspatch announced, and put her mouth on the kit's leg. She sat like that for a moment, then released. She spat out the poison on a leaf, and Moonpaw noticed that Harpiekit looked more relaxed.

"Will she be all right?" Fallingwater, a silver she-cat, mewed in distress; Mosspatch didn't answer.

All eyes were on Harpiekit as her struggling stopped. "I took out most of the poison," Mosspatch mewed finally, "All we can do is hope."

It felt like moons as Harpiekit's shallow breathing grew fainter; for a moment, Moonpaw thought she was surely dead. It seemed as if the entire Clan was holding its breath.

A small, blue feather fell gently at Moonpaw's feet, and she looked at it in confusion. _Before the moon, blue feathers will fall, and the dusk shall be avenged…_

Moonpaw took a step back. Then another. And another. She felt that the feather was the snake poison itself.

Harpiekit shuddered, and her breathing stopped. Moonpaw saw a faint wisp of what looked like blue smoke rise out of her mouth, and then dissipate into the air.

Mosspatch and Ashpaw bowed their heads. Clovergrass ran up to her kit, but Gingereyes and Marshwater held her back in fear that the snake would strike again. Mosspatch gently picked the kit up in her jaws, and set her in the center of the hollow.

Moonpaw watched with a heavy heart as the kit was carried, and saw that Lizardbreath, Clovergrass's mate, was sobbing. _So. she's dead, _Moonpaw thought with shock. _Who knew a life could end so quickly after it started._

She looked down at the feather, shiny and smooth, and wondered briefly where it had fallen from. It seemed as if it dropped out of thin air.

"A blue feather that fell," Moonpaw whispered. She quickly sought her mind for the words that she heard as the feather landed.

_Before the moon, blue feathers will fall…and the dusk shall be avenged._

**Yay! Prophecies! Please Review!**_  
_


	11. Chapter 9: RiverClan

**Hello my friends! Sorry for not updating lately, been busy with school (I have to write a two page summary on Ancient Greece! XP).  
But I promise you, I will try to update quicker; it's almost the end of school (yay) and I have a busy summer, so everything is _crazy_.**

**Well enough about me, tell me what you think about this...**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**Chapter 9**

_**RiverClan**_

_ Tinypaw gulped down the rest of her prey, _looking up to the bright full moon above her head. It had been half a moon since she had become an apprentice, and she was excited to be going to her first Gathering.

But first, she had to stop by the medicine den. Ever since Riverpaw's accident with the horse, Tinypaw had been keeping the lonely WindClan apprentice company in the stuffy medicine den. Every day, Tinypaw saw the longing in Riverpaw's eyes as she stared out of the entrance to the den, wishing to be out in open air once more. Tinypaw knew that was to be expected of a WindClan apprentice, but she wondered also what she was waiting for; come to think of it, Tinypaw had seen Echopaw veering towards the medicine den every day as she did, and every day she saw that he left before she came. Riverpaw was hiding something.

Still, Tinypaw felt her own comfort in the company of her new friend. She still was wary as she patrolled the ShadowClan border where the Greenleaf Twolegplace lay not far beyond, and wondered where and why Napoleon and Skullpaw had gone.

Though excited, Tinypaw was scared that she would see Skullpaw at the Gathering tonight. She hoped that he hadn't been chosen by Duskstar.

Tinypaw brushed past the vines that covered the medicine den's entrance, and saw with a sinking heart that Riverpaw looked disappointed. "What's the matter?" Tinypaw asked, although she already knew the answer.

Riverpaw sighed. "I wish I could go to the Gathering; instead I'm stuck in some other Clan's medicine den." Tinypaw felt bad for her friend, but also relieved that Riverpaw wouldn't have to face her Clanmates as they saw her come with a RiverClan patrol; then both Clans would be under suspicion.

Tinypaw stayed a moment longer until Blazestar called for the cats to leave. Accompanying Tinypaw were Creekpaw, Swallowpaw, and the newly apprenticed Bluepaw, who wouldn't stop bouncing on his paws.

"Stop it!" Swallowpaw hissed to him, and he stood still. Tinypaw thought that Swallowpaw was being a bit hard on Bluepaw, but she didn't comment.

Tinypaw followed her patrol toward the island, shivering as a cool breeze slapped across her fur; the smell of the lake opened her senses, and she felt that she couldn't contain her excitement. Tinypaw stopped as the RiverClan patrol waited their turn to cross the tree bridge. WindClan went first, then ThunderClan followed soon after.

When Tinypaw was just about to follow Bluepaw onto the bridge, there was a screech and a splash as a ThunderClan she-cat plunged into the black water of the lake below. Tinypaw froze, her pelt bristling, but Bluepaw leapt into action before anyone could react. He jumped with a splash into the water, and for a moment neither cat could be seen. Tinypaw craned her neck over the side, and the tree trunk groaned while trying to hold the cats' weight.

Suddenly, there was a splash on the shore ahead, and Tinypaw saw with relief that both the ThunderClan apprentice and Bluepaw were safe on the shore.

As soon as Tinypaw reached the beach, she ran toward where Bluepaw and the apprentice lay gasping for air. The ThunderClan she-cat's black pelt was sleek with lakewater, and her ice blue eyes were slit in exhaustion.

Bluepaw looked less tired, yet still winded by the swim. "That was amazing, Bluepaw!" Tinypaw exclaimed, and Bluepaw looked at his paws shyly.

The ThunderClan she-cat stood and shook out her pelt. "Thanks," she panted, and raced to catch up to her patrol. Bluepaw stared after her for a moment, then followed Tinypaw as she headed for the Gathering.

Tinypaw emerged into a vast clearing, with a magnificent tree in the center. The leaders were sitting in the tangled branches of the tree, while the deputies took their places at the base. Tinypaw saw the medicine cats gathering at one side of the clearing, gossiping and laughing as if they were old friends.

Tinypaw scanned the clearing, but relaxed when she saw that ShadowClan hadn't arrived yet. The other mingled scents of RiverClan, ThunderClan, and WindClan were making her dizzy.

A gray tom with darker stripes approached her, and he brushed his tail over Tinypaw's ear; Tinypaw was startled out of her dizzy spell.

"You seem overwhelmed," The gray tom asked, amusement in his voice. "You must be new. I'm Finchpaw, of WindClan. I'm Riverpaw's friend." Tinypaw relaxed, enchanted by the tom's friendly green eyes.

She shook her head, clearing it. "Um, yeah. My name's Tinypaw." Tinypaw paused, tongue-tied. "So…how's the prey running in WindClan?"

Finchpaw laughed, and Tinypaw thought she said the wrong thing; her ears grew hot with embarrassment. "Actually, it's running alright. Every thing's plentiful this season." Creekpaw approached Finchpaw and Tinypaw, followed by the black ThunderClan she-cat that had fallen in the lake.

"Hi, Tinypaw. This is Moonpaw, the cat that Bluepaw saved." Creekpaw flicked her tail toward the black she-cat, who dipped her head in greeting. Bluepaw was following close behind, and soon the apprentices were chatting and laughing as if no boundaries had ever separated them.

Finchpaw and Creekpaw took the time in telling the new apprentices who the other leaders were. " The ThunderClan leader was Sunstar, but he…passed away, shortly after my brother Seedpaw and I became apprentices." Creekpaw began, "The new ThunderClan leader is Oakstar, formerly Oakstripe." She turned to glance at a dark tom on the topmost tree branch. "The past leader, Flyingstar, was so wise with the others, he seemed to never get angry."

Finchpaw continued, "The WindClan leader is Tawnystar, the big golden tom next to Oakstar. And next to your leader is Duskstar—"

"Duskstar!" Tinypaw squeaked, and looked around frantically. She hadn't noticed, but ShadowClan had arrived, and suddenly their familiar scent washed over her. Two white apprentices with yellow eyes trotted towards the group, and Tinypaw recognized the scent of Skullpaw.

"Hello," Skullpaw mewed coolly. "I'm Skullpaw, and this is my brother Deathpaw." Tinypaw gulped and lowered her head.

"You two look exactly alike," Moonpaw commented, and Deathpaw snorted as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. Tinypaw's throat tightened as Skullpaw's gaze rested on her.

"Well, I'm Moonpaw, this is Finchpaw, and here are Creekpaw, Bluepaw, and Ti—"

A yowl interrupted her, and every cat looked up at the tree. Duskstar stepped back, while Blazestar stepped forward.

"Fish has been plentiful in RiverClan. There have been no troubles with borders," Blazestar glanced at the WindClan leader, Tawnystar, "and we have two new apprentices, Tinypaw and Bluepaw." Tinypaw looked down, afraid Skullpaw would be one of the many cats that turned her way; a silver tabby she-cat next to her murmured congratulations.

Duskstar was next, announcing his new apprentices Deathpaw and Skullpaw. He seemed tense, as if he was afraid that the cats around him weren't trusted friends. Tawnystar was careful to avoid the truth about RiverClan taking care of his apprentice, who he announced as Riverpaw. Oakstar announced that the great leader Flyingstar of ThunderClan had passed over the moon, and all cats bowed their heads in silence. Then, abruptly, each cat started to cheer Oakstar's name.

"Oakstar, Oakstar!" They chanted, and Tinypaw's ears were blasting. He made the announcements of Moonpaw and Seedpaw as new apprentices, then the Gathering split up to head for home.

As Tinypaw exited the moonlit clearing, a big white tom with glowing green eyes watched from the edges of the clearing. He continued to watch until all of the apprentices of every Clan were gone, then padded quietly back into the shadows.


	12. Chapter 10: ShadowClan

**Here you are, another chapter to satisfy your hunger.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**Chapter 10**

_**ShadowClan**_

_Skullpaw followed his brother out of the Gathering clearing, _feeling successful. He had just met all of the cats that would be suitable for recruits with their master plan.

Now all he had to do was make them trust him enough.

Skullpaw thought over all of the cats he saw and talked to. There was Finchpaw of WindClan; he seemed good at heart, yet that could be easily changed with a little persuasion. There was Creekpaw of RiverClan; he sensed a great tragedy was going to happen to her, but she seemed confident in her duties. There was Tinypaw of RiverClan; Skullpaw slit his eyes as this thought crossed his mind.

_Tinypaw… _he had recognized her scent from his meeting with Napoleon, and he sensed her anxiety at meeting him for the first time. Skullpaw smirked; fear was good, but he would need to gain her trust as a true friend before he broke her down.

And then there was Moonpaw; Skullpaw recognized her as the young ThunderClan she-cat they had caught by the border on his first day out. Upon seeing her again, Skullpaw had decided that she was strong if not a bit gullible, and would make the perfect recruit.

Among Skullpaw's own Clan, he had decided to befriend Hawkpaw for his determination and speed. As Skullpaw was organizing his plans, he hadn't noticed that he had run into Blackpaw on the way back into camp.

"Whoops." Blackpaw breathed, and Skullpaw blinked as if first realizing she was there. Both apprentices looked down shyly, not knowing what to say to the other.

"Excuse me, brother," Deathpaw nudged Skullpaw out of the way, knocking him into a recent mud puddle. "Blackpaw, would you mind hunting with me later?"

Blackpaw's eyes had widened at the sight of Deathpaw pushing Skullpaw into the puddle, and Skullpaw felt a flash of shame and anger. _Why does Deathpaw always steal things away from me?_ Deathpaw chuckled at her bewildered expression and began to tow her away.

Seeing Skullpaw's distress, Blackpaw stopped and held her ground. "No, Deathpaw. I'm through with you; pushing around your brother isn't going to make me want you instead." Deathpaw widened his eyes in surprise at the she-cat's confidence, and backed away toward the apprentices' den, mumbling.

Blackpaw helped Skullpaw up and out of the mud puddle with a great sucking sound, and Skullpaw shook himself off.

"Thank you," Skullpaw mewed, and Blackpaw purred.

"Your welcome. Deathpaw needed a little sourness to spice up his snobbish life." Skullpaw's spirits lifted at this, and together the two went of hunting with their mentors—without Deathpaw dragging behind.

* * *

Skullpaw padded slowly through the pine needles, making his pawsteps muffled on the soft springy ground as he stalked the vole. They were right near the Twolegpath that marked the border between ThunderClan and ShadowClan, and Skullpaw was having a great hunt so far. With leaf-fall on the way, everyone in ShadowClan was preparing for a hard winter.

Skullpaw pounced when the mouse wasn't looking, and with a purr of satisfaction he bit down hard on its neck, making it go limp in his jaws. He had caught a sparrow, a squirrel, and this mouse; this would be enough to take back to the elders and kits.

Skullpaw trotted over to where he had buried his other kill, and with the prey bulging from his jaws he made his way back over to where Blackpaw waited.

A sudden stench of death and crow-food filled his nostrils, making him gag for air among his prey. He set it on the ground and traced the scent over to where a black bundle lay unmoving in a heap beside the Twolegpath.

Skullpaw parted the bushes for a better look, and was horrified to find a dead cat lying in the bushes. He had a night black pelt and shimmering green eyes that were empty and lifeless. His body was caked in dried blood, no doubt his own. It looked as if he had been dragged here, because a trail of blood uphill led to the spot where he now lay.

Skullpaw took a step back, then another, until he was running back toward Blackpaw and the camp, just managing to grab his prey before he streaked into the clearing.

"What is it, Deathpaw?" Deathpaw's mentor, Ravenclaw, asked as Skullpaw panted into the camp. Skullpaw for once didn't mind the tom's constant mix-up between him and his twin brother, just streaked past him toward the leader's den where Duskstar lay sharing tongues with his brother, Crowmoon at the back of the den. He just remembered to drop his prey on the fresh-kill pile before entering.

"Duskstar!" Skullpaw panted, forcing his heartbeat to slow.

Duskstar and Crowmoon turned to look at him. "What's the matter, Skullpaw? You look as if you've seen a ghost." Crowmoon asked, and both cats chuckled. Skullpaw felt a flash of annoyance at his leader, but it evaporated as soon as he remembered his mission.

"Duskstar, there's a dead cat on the border with ThunderClan. It-It looked like Rabbitsteps!" Both cats' eyes widened with horror and surprise at the sound of their old medicine cat's name. Rabbitsteps had gone missing a half moon ago, and the news that he was dead hung in the air like sickness.

After a long pause, Duskstar dipped his head. "Thank you, Skullpaw. I shall send a patrol to investigate. You shall be included." Skullpaw raised his head high, glad to be given such an honor in being part of an important patrol. Skullpaw dipped his head, and followed the two cats outside.

"Cats of ShadowClan," Duskstar yowled at the top of the Dark Rock, and immediately the Clan began to gather; even the nursery queens stuck their heads out to see what was the matter.

"The missing Rabbitsteps was found dead by the ThunderClan border; I will send a patrol to gather his body and investigate further into his death." Duskstar kept his voice level and emotionless so as not to panic his Clan; Skullpaw envied his calmness in a crisis.

"Softfur, Bearstripe, Pondripple, and Skullpaw. You will be the members of the patrol." All cats nodded agreement, and Skullpaw followed his Clanmates out of the camp and into the pines.

* * *

"It looks as if his throat was ripped open with claws," Bearstripe observed as they stood over Rabbitsteps's body; Skullpaw shivered as Pondripple gently brushed her tail-tip over Rabbitsteps's eyes, closing them.

Softfur sniffed his pelt, looking for any traces of his killer's scent. "I detect the scent of rogue, and one that I've smelled faintly in the area." Skullpaw's eyes widened. Duskstar and Softfur already _knew _his killer?

Bearstripe dipped his head. "Go on."

"He used to be a kittypet, until his Twoleg was hit by a monster when returning home. He wandered off to become a rogue on our territories, vowing for revenge." Skullpaw tipped his head, puzzled.

"But how do you know him?" He asked. Softfur dipped her head.

"Duskstar and I met him when on a patrol," she mewed, "He threatened to kill anyone who stood in his way; he also mentioned that he would do whatever it took to reach his goal…"She trailed off. "We don't know his name, or what his goal is. But he's a threat to our Clan, a threat that must be dealt with." She blinked slowly, determination in her golden eyes.

"Come. We must bring him back for vigil." She nudged her head under him, along with Bearstripe, and Pondripple and Skullpaw inspected the scene around where they found the body.

Skullpaw had not been very fond of Rabbitsteps, for he had been quite old when he disappeared; but Skullpaw had never wished him_ dead _before. He just wished that he would stop telling him what to do all the time.

Skullpaw remembered his last words to him…

_ Skullkit raced away, past the medicine den where Rabbitsteps was organizing his herb stock; Fuzzykit was helping him, stealing tentative glances to where his father was talking with Softfur. _

_ Skullkit pushed his brother into a patch of thorn bushes, squealing with laughter as Deathkit struggled and gasped with pain. Their mother came over and scolded Skullkit for doing such a thing, and ordered him to escort Deathkit to the medicine den._

_ Rabbitsteps had given him such a sorrowful look that Skullkit felt a flash of regret for pushing his brother, who was whimpering in the corner._

_ "Violence is not the way for a warrior to act," Rabbitsteps had scolded, and Skullkit shuffled his paws. He looked into the tom's friendly eyes, searching for comfort. "You shall be great one day, young kit," Rabbitsteps murmured, "But you shall make choices that you shall later regret; the Moon and Blue Feathers shall forever hate you for your insolence and scorn." Skullkit had stepped away, pelt bristling, looking up toward the sky as if the moon would crush him in the middle of the day. Rabbitsteps had helped Deathkit pull out all of the thorns, then went out of camp to look for herbs; he had never returned._

Skullpaw shivered as he turned over leaves, looking for clumps of fur or traces of scent. He was sure Rabbitsteps had given a prophecy, but he had no idea what it had meant; surely Skullpaw had made the right choice in trusting Napoleon in his quest for power?

He sniffed around, hooking a clump of white fur in his claws; it was stained with Rabbitsteps's blood. No; Skullpaw was making the right choice.

He wouldn't back down now.

**Please Review! Next chapta coming soon! **


	13. Chapter 11: WindClan

**Here's some more action from our beloved Riverpaw!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**Chapter 11**

_**WindClan**_

_ Riverpaw blinked, excitement tingling in her _paws as she heaved herself to her feet; she winced as a searing pain shot through her shoulders and hindquarters. But Riverpaw didn't care; today she was moving back into her Clan, and she couldn't wait to feel the wind in her fur once more.

Tinypaw and Mistpool stuck their heads in the medicine den, and they let out warm purrs as they saw Riverpaw standing confidently in her nest.

"You're up," Mistpool mewed, "Are you ready to go home? Or do you still feel too weak?"

Riverpaw waved her tail in the air delightedly. "Of course I'm ready to go!" She exclaimed, stirring Echopaw who had fallen asleep beside her. Echopaw raised his head slowly, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

"You're leaving already?" Echopaw yawned, and he shook himself as he stood. His head and tail drooped. "I don't want you to go."

Riverpaw licked his ear. "Don't worry. I'll ask if you can come on the patrol that's taking me home, so you won't have to stay goodbye yet." Echopaw had been Riverpaw's only companion, besides Tinypaw, that had kept her company by chatting and bringing her prey; Echopaw often told her about how the kits in RiverClan were coming along, or which warriors were the most annoying. Echopaw always found a way to make Riverpaw laugh, even if she was feeling glum when she was cooped up in the den for too long.

A pang of sorrow rippled through Riverpaw; she hoped they would stay friends even if they were in different Clans. She didn't want to face him in battle someday.

Riverpaw took a step, swaying a bit; Echopaw immediately dashed to her side, steadying her so she could take another. She hadn't used her paws much while her legs were healing from the horse attack, and she was feeling a bit unsteady.

Once she had gained enough balance, Echopaw released her and she padded toward the entrance to the den.

Once she was outside, Riverpaw was hit with a barrage of different smells; there were the scents of RiverClan, fish, reeds, and even some WindClan scents coming from behind a clump of bushes. They shivered and parted, revealing her brother Gorgepaw and sister Applepaw with voles in their jaws. Their expressions brightened at the sight of their sister walking again, and they quickly deposited their prey on the fresh-kill pile before trotting over to her.

"You're better!" Applepaw cheered, rubbing her muzzle on Riverpaw's, "We were so worried you would never walk again!"

"As was I," Riverpaw whispered. Riverpaw had been worried ever since the day she woke up in the medicine den that Mistpool would tell her that she had lost mobility in her legs; but as the days wore on, turning into weeks, she had become less and less tense as Mistpool never approached her with such news.

Gorgepaw purred. "We missed you in WindClan; training wasn't the same without you."

"Wait 'till we tell Finchpaw you're alright!" Applepaw exclaimed, and she bounced back to where her mentor Asterfall was speaking with Loudheart near a great rock that jutted from the center.

At the sound of Finchpaw, Riverpaw's ears went hot with embarrassment. She had had a huge crush on the handsome gray tom ever since she became an apprentice with her littermates, but she was even more pleased that he had worried about her when she had been with RiverClan as she was healing. The thought that he liked her too made her heart skip.

Riverpaw padded toward Sunfeather and Harestep as the WindClan cats gathered to leave with Loudheart, Fishsplash, Tinypaw, Creekpaw, and Griffinpaw as the RiverClan patrol that guided them to the border. Riverpaw asked Loudheart if Echopaw could come too, and she nodded, a twinkle in her eyes.

"I can understand why you'd want him along," she meowed, "He's been such a good friend to you while you recovered." Riverpaw held her head a little higher at her friend's praise, and followed her Clanmates and the RiverClan patrol out of the camp.

Riverpaw padded through the reeds, relishing the squelching sound that followed as she pressed her dry pads into them. It had been half a moon since she had been outside of the RiverClan camp, and she realized with a pang that she had had hardly enough time to explore her own territory before she was injured. Now she could return, and things would go back to normal.

One thought tugged at her mind, however. What was the starry cat Onestar talking about when he visited her that night in StarClan? She remembered that he had said she had a great destiny before her and wouldn't die before it was through. She had had a feeling that he had—somehow—saved her life.

Riverpaw padded to the edge of the Horseplace, bristling as she remembered her incident; her legs gave off a dull ache, as if passing by this way had made them remember as well.

Sunfeather steered her closer toward the lake, where Riverpaw sighed with gratitude. "Thanks."

"No problem." Sunfeather grumbled. Echopaw and Gorgepaw were right beside each other, chatting as if they were old friends. Riverpaw saw Echopaw glance in her direction, and she thought she saw compassion and longing cross his eyes; the look faded though, and they returned to their neutral status.

Creekpaw raced ahead toward a stocky ledge that jutted out into the lake, peering down with wide eyes. Fishsplash narrowed his eyes in disapproval at the apprentice for wandering off so far, but the others trotted forward as if nothing about her actions was bothering them.

It wasn't until Creekpaw had shrieked in terror that the cats started paying attention. She was no longer on the rock, but a faint splash down below made Riverpaw's heart flutter wildly in her ribcage. Tinypaw and Griffinpaw immediately raced toward the rock, and Riverpaw followed to look over the edge with frightened eyes.

"Creekpaw!" Griffinpaw yowled, and Riverpaw was suddenly aware of how steep the incline was. There were sharp rocks at the bottom of the cliff, with Creekpaw sickly twisted on one of them. Riverpaw felt a stone drop deep into her belly, and her fur suddenly felt too heavy to carry.

Griffinpaw bristled and turned on Fishsplash. "You were right next to her; what happened!" she demanded, and Fishsplash played a look of innocence and shock on his face.

"I was standing here, telling her to get away, when a rock broke free and she stumbled and fell over; I tried to grab her scruff but she was too heavy…" He trailed off, as if too shocked to speak.

Griffinpaw slumped to the ground. "Creekpaw," she moaned, and Tinypaw exchanged a horrified and sorrowful look with Riverpaw. Riverpaw returned it, and pressed her pelt against Griffinpaw's in comfort; Griffinpaw's body was wracked with sobs, and Riverpaw felt a wave of suspicion as she turned to look at Fishsplash.

Riverpaw had always been a pretty good judge of character, and Fishsplash was not one of the cats that seemed to be inside the warrior code. He looked too far away from the edge to have tried to grab Creekpaw's scruff, and it looked as if no rocks had broken loose from the cliff for a while. There was a sly look in his eye that made him even harder to believe.

Even if she suspected him, which of these mourning cats would believe her? He was a trusted warrior in his Clan, and another Clan's cat accusing him would look suspicious; Riverpaw decided to keep quiet for now and focus on the task at hand.

All the cats were silent for a moment, except for Griffinpaw's occasional sniffle. Finally, Loudheart mewed quietly, "Come on. The rest of RiverClan will go down to the shore to collect her body; I'm sure you WindClan cats can go on from here." Fishsplash looked displeased that they wouldn't be able to keep the WindClan cats in check anymore, but he lowered his head in respect and followed his Clanmates to where Creekpaw now lay.

Riverpaw thought there was a smug spring in his step that looked a bit strange for a cat of mourning as he trotted back to his Clan, yet Riverpaw was too overcome with sadness to care. Creekpaw had been a sweet cat, and Riverpaw had often seen Griffinpaw and Creekpaw playing outside in the clearing; she had even brought her prey a couple times. Riverpaw knew from experience that StarClan could take away life just like that, but she had never seen it from the Clan's point of view; only her own.

Now as the WindClan patrol steadily made the rest of the way to camp, Riverpaw wondered just how many more lives StarClan planned to take away.

**Please know, just press the little button there...that's it, move the mouse, my pretties...**


	14. Chapter 12: RiverClan

**Chapter 12! This story has come so far, thank you all of my reviewers for reading and well, reviewing! **

**You make me smile like the warrior I am. =^+^=**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**Chapter 12**

_**RiverClan**_

_ Tinypaw's tail and head dropped low to the ground_ as the RiverClan patrol headed down the incline to collect her body. Waves of sorrow and shock rolled off of the cats around her in waves, and Tinypaw saw that even the sky had turned a deep gray. She tasted humidity and static on the air, and she knew that the last of the summer storms was on its way.

Once they reached the edge of the lakeshore, the RiverClan cats slipped in and started swimming strongly against the current toward where Creekpaw lay. Tinypaw heaved herself onto the rocks, looking at her once spunky friend broken on the rocks.

Beside her, Fishsplash and Griffinpaw had their heads bowed as Loudheart began to speak. "This day, StarClan has chosen to take Creekpaw from our Clans to rest in the stars; may she be forever welcomed in the haven of StarClan's hunting grounds, and may we urge to keep her memory alive." She motioned with a flick of her tail for Griffinpaw to say something, but she just drooped her head over her sister and groomed her ruffled fur back until her white-speckled silver pelt was glossy and clean.

Fishsplash dipped his head. "Creekpaw was a noble apprentice and a fast learner. Adderfang will be sad to hear the news of her death." Fishslash's eyes flashed, and Tinypaw wondered if he was really sad about Creekpaw.

Fishplash and Loudheart heaved Creekpaw between their shoulders, while Tinypaw and Griffinpaw trailed close behind. Griffinpaw had a look of bitterness in her gaze, and Tinypaw felt that Griffinpaw might never be the same.

When the reentered the camp, they were met with shocked gasps and wails of remorse as they saw Creekpaw's body. Adderfang and Creekpaw's father, Grayfoot. raced up to the patrol; Adderfang looked panicked and shocked at the thought of his first apprentice being dead, and Grayfoot let out a yowl of despair.

"My Creekpaw! Oh, my daughter." He wailed silently, burying his muzzle into her still gray fur. "Griffinpaw, what shall we do?"

Griffinpaw looked just as bewildered and panic-stricken as her father; Tinypaw knew that Grayfoot had had a certain fondness of Creekpaw that he didn't have for Griffinpaw. Griffinpaw thought that it was because she reminded him too much of his old mate Ripplefire who had been captured by Twolegs while hunting near the Greenleaf Twolegplace. Griffinpaw had her same ginger pelt and shining amber eyes; even if she had been adopted as a kit, Grayfoot still disliked her because of her similarities with Ripplefire.

Tinypaw spoke up for Griffinpaw. "We must lay her in the center of the clearing for vigil." All of the cats agreed, heads drooping, and carried Creekpaw to the center of the clearing.

When they had gently set her down and cats came to mourn, Blazestar emerged from his den with his mate Frostwing. "What happened?" He demanded when he reached Creekpaw's body. Tinypaw quickly explained what happened in a hushed tone, making sure that Fishsplash couldn't add any little tidbits that would make the story different.

"And then we heard a splash, and when we all looked Creekpaw was nowhere to be seen, and only Fishsplash saw and told us what had happened." Tinypaw finished, and Blazestar dipped his head to the young apprentice.

"Creekpaw was…a brave apprentice," He mewed, sorrow in his deep blue eyes. "She was too young to be taken from us." He laid his head on her flank, murmuring his goodbyes, and then stood and shook himself.

There was a moment of silence, only filled with the murmurings of the Clan as they said goodbye to their Clanmate.

Tinypaw stood, feeling heavier with sadness. She mewed to Griffinpaw that she was going to the apprentices' den for some sleep, but she was focused on Creekpaw; her tail sweeped over her sister's white-speckled pelt, her eyes clouded with pain. Grayfoot lay with his pelt pressed beside her. Grayfoot had offered to father the two kits when Griffinpaw had been found and Creekpaw's parents had died, and they eagerly accepted him as their father. Two mismatched lives brought together by one warrior, who had a kind enough heart that he accepted them as his daughters.

Tinypaw padded toward the apprentices' den, easing into her moss-lined nest with exhaustion. She longed for Creekpaw's presence, and she sniffed her stale scent on the nest beside her. Creekpaw would never sleep there again, and her scent would soon fade until it was gone forever.

* * *

Tinypaw opened her eyes to find herself standing next to a crystalline creek, a gushing flow that gurgled merrily over smooth rocks. Tinypaw stepped into it, sighing as cool water lapped gently at her paws. She swam strongly to the center of it, where she splashed around; she marveled at the water's silvery sheen.

Tinypaw stopped splashing when she felt the intense gaze of something behind her. She looked over her shoulder, water droplets hanging off of her whiskers like drops of sunlight.

Behind her sat a finch, staring at her through curious green eyes. It had gray, ruffled feathers with streaks of darker gray over its wings. It chirped cheerfully at her, and it took Tinypaw a moment to realize that the bird had an _eye color._ Its eyes seemed too big for its head, and Tinypaw shivered; it reminded her of someone, some cat she had met before…

Suddenly, in a flurry of feathers, a swallow landed beside the finch, bristling its feathers at the finch furiously; the finch chirped angrily at it, and the two birds began to fight. There was only a ball of feathers and beaks before the finch shrieked a warning cry and flew away; Tinypaw noticed that other creatures had been watching her and the birds, and Tinypaw felt the tingling sensation of danger nearby.

The swallow took no notice of her anxiety and kept chattering happily at her, as if scaring off the finch were the proudest thing it had done for her. Tinypaw saw something stir in the shadows, and suddenly a shaped leaped out and caught the swallow between its jaws, snapping its spine; the swallow shuddered and lay limp in the shadow's jaws, and Tinypaw stared horrified at the creature before her. She couldn't see its face, but sharp claws and thick fur alerted her that it was dangerous.

She took a step toward the bank she had come from, glad that the water of the creek was still rushing around her. The creature took a step toward the bank, its yellow eyes wary, then stalked off back toward the forest where it came from. Tinypaw saw tall pines and looming branches yawning at the gap where the creature had departed, and she looked sadly at the little swallow that lay dead before her on the bank.

A strange thought crossed her mind, _As Swallow conquered Finch, Fear itself will strike it down in return, leaving the Tiny Splash alone…the Creek the only one to guide her._ Tinypaw looked into the water, and saw with surprise that she could see no reflection; in fact, the entire creek bottom had disappeared. In its place was a gaping black hole, and Tinypaw was suddenly being sucked into it, swirling in a realm of darkness.

* * *

Tinypaw woke with a start, shaking off scraps of moss that clung to her pelt. _What a strange dream, _Tinypaw thought as she stepped outside into the air; it was evening now, with stars just appearing in Silverpelt above her. Creekpaw, Grayfoot, and Griffinpaw still lay at the center of the clearing, Griffinpaw's eyes to the stars as if searching for her sister's spirit in StarClan.

Tinypaw padded toward them, but Icepaw intercepted her, her blue eyes intent and curious. "Blazestar and Mistpool want to see you in the medicine den." Puzzled, Tinypaw thanked her and started toward there instead.

The smell of herbs and healing greeted her as she passed through the carefully weaved reed entrance, scenting Blazestar and Mistpool among the shadows of the den.

Tinypaw dipped her head. "Good evening, Blazestar, Mistpool."

"Good evening Tinypaw," Blazestar mewed coolly, not letting any emotion play on his face; there was an intense silence as the two cats glared at her.

"What?" Tinypaw mewed defensively, licking her chest fur until it was flat.

Mistpool and Blazestar exchanged a glance of dissaproval. "We just heard a report from Fishsplash that your story about Creekpaw was a lie." Mistpool stated.

Tinypaw felt a flash of anger at the warrior. "What do you mean?" she forced her voice to sound calm.

Blazestar answered, "_His _version of the story is; he was standing next to Creekpaw, about to pull her away, when he saw you run up and push her off of the cliff."

Tinypaw felt as if a cold claw had stabbed her heart. Fishsplash was blaming _her _for Creekpaw's death? "That's not true!" Tinypaw blurted, and she realized what she had done and put her tail over her mouth. "I mean, why would I do that to my best friend? Creekpaw has always been a good companion of mine."

Mistpool sighed, laying her tail-tip gently on her shoulder. "It's okay to admit what you did as wrong, Tinypaw, just don't deny it any longer; we just—want to know the reason why you did it."

Tinypaw bristled. They weren't listening to her! Why would they put a fox-faced mouse-brain like Fishsplash above her own story, which was what Fishsplash had said in the first place? Tinypaw considered snarling, "It was Fishsplash, he's the one who murdered her!" but decided that that would only make her look eve more guilty when she wasn't in the first place.

Tinypaw gulped, swallowing her anger. Suddenly the smell of herbs was not comforting but suffocating. "I…didn't…murder…Creekpaw," she whispered bitterly, "And that's the truth. Fishsplash wasn't telling the…the story he told us in the patrol."

Blazestar locked his piercing gaze on her. "He told you what happened? That she slipped off of a rock and into the water? He stated otherwise and that you had told that lie to save your skin." Mistpool shook her head, tutting.

"Please, Blazestar, Mistpool, you _must _believe me!" Tinypaw pleaded, feeling truly cramped and uncomfortable in the medicine den now. "I'm telling the truth. I was over where the WindClan cats were, far from the cliff and Fishsplash."

There was a long silence as both medicine cat and leader contemplated Tinypaw's statement. The sun had completely set when they finally answered.

"We believe you Tinypaw." Mistpool mewed, and Tinypaw let her fur lie flat again. "But, we will have to speak with Fishsplash and sort this out; he's acting like a misbehaving apprentice." Blazestar grunted his approval, and Tinypaw dipped her head to them before returning to Creekpaw and sit vigil.

All through the night, Tinypaw's head swam with accusations and confusion. Why, of all cats, would Fishsplash blame _Tinypaw_ for Creekpaw's death? Could it be that he was trying to get rid of her? Tinypaw shook that thought away; why would he want to do that; Tinypaw had never done anything to him that harmed him in any way.

While Tinypaw thought this, her eyelids drooped lower and lower over her eyes until she was half-asleep. The last thought that crossed her mind was a single word: _Why?_

**Why seems to be the question in every cats' mind! Please review, and I would appreciate it if you could check out my other stories, Bloodstar's Beginning, and Warriors: Seasons of Life: Books 1 and 2. Just check my profile.**


	15. Chapter 13: ThunderClan

**Sorry for such a slow update...I really have no excuse except for writer's block! I hope you like it. Also, to all of you people who are out of school...**

**IT'S SUMMER! THANK GOD!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.  
**

**Chapter 13**

_**ThunderClan**_

_Moonpaw followed Seedpaw out of camp for their assessment,_ ears pricking for any movements of prey. It had been a half moon since they had started training as apprentices, and their mentors felt that they were ready to be tested.

"You've both grown into excellent hunters," Greenmoss had mewed warmly when they had returned from patrol with two rabbits. "You will be a fine addition to the Clan as warriors."

Moonpaw opened her jaws, scenting mouse on the breeze. She spotted it rustling in the undergrowth, and she dropped into a crouch to follow it. Seedpaw had already veered off toward his own prey, and Moonpaw had been left alone.

The mouse paused, and Moonpaw stiffened as she realized that she wasn't downwind and that the wind was carrying the scent over to her prey.

_Mouse-brain! _she scolded herself, and she carefully crept to a less windy spot where she could stalk properly. How could she have been so stupid?

The mouse returned to its foraging, and Moonpaw carefully placed her paws, one after the other, toward it. She didn't make a sound, and she was nearly upon it when a harsh cry from a skylark alerted the mouse, and Moonpaw watched grudgingly as the mouse scampered away in fright.

Moonpaw sighed and opened her jaws again, cursing the skylark as she watched it flutter away.

A twig snapping made Moonpaw's ears twitch, and she looked behind her, pelt bristling. A strange scent washed over her scent glands, and she crouched low to the ground. Her fur was fluffed out, making her appear twice her actual size.

To her surprise, a young kit, at least six moons old, stumbled out of the bushes, worn and beaten. She smelled of Twoleg rubbish and mud, with her brown tabby coat smeared with grime and dust. Moonpaw wrinkled her nose at the tinge of the Thunderpath.

"Who are you? What is your name?" Moonpaw snarled at the kit; she wasn't at all intimidated by her, but her hostility against this lone she-cat peaked as high as the hollow in camp.

The kit looked to her with bleary yellow eyes, and Moonpaw wondered where she had come from. "I am Gorsekit of...of..." she trailed off. She looked so worn and beaten that Moonpaw's fur slowly lay flat. This she-cat had a _Clan name_, yet no Clan scent about her. She seemed to not remember where she came from, anyway.

Moonpaw approached her, eyes darting warily all around. "I'm Moonpaw, of ThunderClan. You're hardly a kit anymore, Gorsekit." Gorsekit nodded. She sat down wearily, eyes narrowing in exhaustion.

Kestrelpelt and Seedpaw burst out of the bushes behind them, but immediately recoiled at the foul stench of the she-cat. "What are you doing here?" Kestrelpelt snarled in surprised hostility. Moonpaw approached him and laid a tail-tip on his shoulder.

"It's all right. She doesn't seem like a threat. Her name is Gorsekit; she can't remember where she's from, yet she has a Clan name..." Moonpaw trailed off, thinking. Should she tell him what she thought they should do? Gorsekit looked so pale and sickly, they just had to help her.

Moonpaw continued, "I think we should take her back to the Clan." Kestrelpelt's and Seedpaw's surprise and worry deepened as they approached to sniff the she-cat.

"She _reeks _of Twoleg!" Kestrelpelt concluded, taking a step back; he wrinkled his nose. Gorsekit let out a whimper, and Moonpaw could tell that she was uncomfortable.

"Come on. Let's bring her back to camp; even if she doesn't join our Clan, we should still provide hospitality." Kestrelpelt stiffened, but nodded curtly. Moonpaw and Seedpaw got on either side of Gorsekit and led her back toward camp; they met Moonpaw's mentor Mossshadow hidden in a tree above, and she told them that she had heard everything. They all headed back to the hollow silently, none daring break the tense silence around them.

* * *

Oakstar looked Gorsekit up and down while she ate and groomed, studying her carefully. "And you just found her wandering on our territory?" he grumbled.

Moonpaw nodded. "I was stalking a mouse, when I turned around and saw her limping along." Oakstar grunted, and, beside him, Greenmoss spoke to Gorsekit gently, "Do you remember anything at all about how you came to be a loner, Gorsekit? You must be of Clan heritage with that name."

"Clan?" Gorsekit echoed blankly. She shook her head sadly. "No, I'm sorry. All I _can _remember is waking up in a steel box, being shipped off toward...what did you call it? Twolegplace? Anyway, I was carried into a big monster with my sister Icekit, and then-"

"Wait. You have a sister?" Seedpaw interrupted, and Moonpaw nudged him for being so rude.

Gorsekit looked to him sadly. "Had a sister," she murmured, "We were separated when the monster went to sleep and the Twolegs carried her out; I never heard or saw her again until an alley cat told me she had seen her getting hit by a monster." Moonpaw wrapped her tail around Gorsekit in reassurance, and Gorsekit sniffled.

"And then?" Greenmoss pressed gently.

"I was given to Twolegs, a female, male, and their kits, for about a moon or so. They kept calling me Lotty, but I never responded. I soon hopped over their wall and escaped back into the streets. I lived with a group of alley cats, Rhino, Silva, and Smokey, until I eventually broke away from them after being with them for three moons. I traveled very, very far until I reached...this place, two moons later." Gorsekit finished off the mouse she had been eating and licked her paws. Her brown tabby pelt was visible now, all of the grime gone.

"I'm six moons, I believe." Gorsekit whispered, her jaws stretching into a yawn. She closed them, and stared at Oakstar determinedly. "By what you've told me about your Clans, I think I would be...a 'paw yes?"

"That is correct," Oakstar rumbled. He paused. "Gorsekit, would you like to join ThunderClan?" Moonpaw, delighted, looked to her brother. Seedpaw had been anxious for Gorsekit to join them, and Moonpaw secretly thought that he had a crush on her.

Gorsekit blinked. "...Yes. I would very much like to. Being alone has never been fun for me." Seedpaw and Moonpaw purred with delight, and Oakstar, though remaining passive, had a twinkle in his eyes.

"Well, now, we shall have your apprentice ceremony at sunhigh." Oakstar mewed. "But until then, you need your rest. Moonpaw, escort Gorsekit to the apprentices' den." Moonpaw nodded and started to lead Gorsekit out of the leader's den atop the Highledge toward the camp and into the apprentices' den, where she curled up in Moonpaw's nest contentedly.

As soon as she was asleep, Moonpaw crawled out and padded toward Flickerpaw and Scatteredpaw who were whispering excitedly about something.

Their chatter stopped as soon as Moonpaw approached. "Moonpaw," Flickerpaw whispered, trying not to giggle, "We have something to tell you." Puzzled, Moonpaw leaned in toward them.

Scatteredpaw chuckled. "You know Pebblepaw? Well, he has a crush on you." Moonpaw felt her ears redden. She should've known that they would tell her something like this. They were the biggest gossips in the Clan, and Moonpaw usually steered clear of them in case she heard nasty gossip about herself or her brother. The only ones she hung out with were Seedpaw, Sootpaw, Cavepaw, and Tansypaw.

Moonpaw sighed, trying to keep her voice level. "_Really? Wow, _that's _so _amazing! And you know what else is amazing?" She paused as Flickerpaw and Scatteredpaw leaned in, eager.

"Not you!" Moonpaw spat at their faces, and she stalked away, feeling pleased with herself. To her left, Moonpaw saw Sootpaw and Tansypaw holding in purrs of laughter. Seedpaw had dropped the fresh-kill that he had been carrying in his mouth.

_Let them chew on that for a couple of days,_ Moonpaw thought, delighted that she had made a stand. She padded over to where a patrol was gathering, eager for Gorsekit's apprentice ceremony.

* * *

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Oakstar yowled, and the Clan began to gather around.

Moonpaw and Seedpaw craned their necks to where Gorsekit was padding strongly up to Highledge. Her pelt was groomed, and her yellow eyes were clear as she watched Oakstar leaped down gracefully to join her at the base.

"I, Oakstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this kit. She has come to our Clan when she was in need of care, and I have heard her story; she is worthy enough to join ThunderClan as an apprentice." anxious murmurs echoed around the hollow, and Moonpaw's heart sunk as she saw that many cats disagreed with Oakstar's reasoning.

Oakstar continued, "Gorsekit, do you promise to learn StarClan's noble code, and to learn how to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Gorsekit's voice rang true around them.

"From this day forth, you shall be known as Gorsepaw, until you complete your training and receive your warrior name. Greenmoss, you shall mentor her." Greenmoss looked as surprised as Moonpaw as she went to touch noses with her apprentice.

"Gorsepaw! Gorsepaw!" The Clan cheered, and Moonpaw broke away to congratulate her new friend.

"Hey Gorsepaw!" Flickerpaw and Cavepaw ran up to them, eyes shining. "Great job! You're going to love it here!" Gorsepaw gave them a weak smile, and Moonpaw waved the other apprentices away.

"Come on, I'll show you to the apprentices' den; we can build you a new nest." Moonpaw mewed, and she led her inside and toward an empty spot. She fetched some moss and made a nest, where Gorsepaw curled up to go back to sleep.

"Are you sure you want to sleep some more? I mean, you can learn how to hunt and fight and all kinds of stuff instead!" Seedpaw had padded up behind Moonpaw and was staring anxiously at Gorsepaw.

Gorsepaw looked up at him. "I've had a long journey; I need my rest." At Seedpaw's disappointed look, she added, "I'll go hunting with you tomorrow, okay?"

Seedpaw nodded. "All right. C'mon, Moonpaw, let's see if the elders need tending to..." Seedpaw left the den, and with one last look toward Gorsepaw, Moonpaw followed him.

**Recognize Gorsekit, Serpent's Ballet? I made a little twist again! Please review!  
**


	16. Chapter 14: WindClan

**In the last chapter with Skullpaw of ShadowClan, I said that they were preparing for winter; but in the first chapter, I said it was new leaf! I make such stupid mistakes, so I'm warning you readers that I changed it back to being right before green leaf. **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**Chapter 14**

_**WindClan**_

_Riverpaw, Finchpaw, and Silverpaw leaped into _battle, hissing and spitting at the dogs that surrounded them. They were much larger than the normal dogs they saw on the moor, with dark markings and thick, gray coats. They were fiercer, much more dangerous than the tame dogs that rounded up the sheep.

Riverpaw leaped onto the back of the biggest one, sinking her teeth into its hard, scruffy fur. The gray dog snarled and snapped at her with its long snout, and Riverpaw had to scramble to stay on top of it. It shook her off anyway, pinning her to the ground.

Riverpaw squirmed and writhed underneath the large dog, feeling its hot breath on her whiskers. She tried to scrabbled at its belly, and the dog snapped at her face; it opened a wound on her snout, spattering blood into her eyes.

Sunfeather and Silverleaf leaped to her rescue, landing blow after blow on the dog's back; it growled and turned, loosening his grip on Riverpaw. She scampered away, hissing towards a smaller female that Finchpaw was struggling with.

"Mange-pelt! Stay away from him!" Riverpaw snarled, and raked her claws on her midnight fur. The female whirled around to face her with unnatural green eyes, and Riverpaw felt a chill run down her spine.

Finchpaw behind her attacked the dog while her back was turned, and together both apprentices managed to warn her off across the hills.

She was a pup, no bigger than a cat, but still had fierce fighting skills.

A wail of pain and defiance filled Riverpaw's ears, and she whirled around to see Lionflower lying limp on the ground; Flamefur was fighting with Darkwing against the biggest of the dogs; it was the burliest and toughest, with glittering yellow fangs and cold yellow eyes; Riverpaw rushed over to help, only to be knocked aside by an invisible force. Riverpaw whirled around to face her enemy, only to find the fading form of a badger.

"Riverpaw not fight. Prophecy too important." The badger spoke rigid cat, and Riverpaw bristled as the badger got onto its hind legs.

"Dusk...avenged...Blue...Moon..." Riverpaw could only catch snippets of the badger's words as it faded into oblivion; the badger had faded completely, its shimmering form broken by the dog that leapt through it. Snarling, it crashed into Riverpaw, slashing at her face, her shoulders, her legs, until Riverpaw could only scent and taste blood around her.

Suddenly, her attacker was gone, whimpering away with its tail between its legs. Riverpaw struggled to see what it was running from; she froze, eyes widening in fright.

Two Twolegs on horses came galloping forward from the RiverClan border, yelling and shouting; they carried long, gray sticks that glinted dangerously in the sunlight, and Riverpaw saw with a pang of fear that they were heading back towards her. She scrambled clumsily to her feet, streaking away from the deadly hooves of the horses. The vision of the Horseplace flashed through her mind, and Riverpaw was determined not to die again at the feet of a horse.

With a loud crack, one of the wolves ahead of her stumbled to the ground, lying motionless in a gray heap. Riverpaw leaped over it, still fleeing the Twolegs and their strange sticks. She saw Finchpaw and Silverpaw ahead, and she suddenly realized that the rest of the warriors were nowhere to be seen. She heard a yowl of a cat behind her and another crack, and she streaked faster across the moor.

All of a sudden, the sound of pounding hooves started to fade behind her as the Twolegs followed the strange dogs, and Riverpaw slowed as she sensed the danger had passed. She collapsed on the ground beside Finchpaw, breathing heavily; blood was welling in many wounds around her body, and Riverpaw felt weak from exhaustion.

"What...What were those things?" Finchpaw wheezed as they caught their breath. Riverpaw could hardly muster a shrug. How could those sticks attack something that was so far away? And what _were _those strange dogs?

To her relief, Sunfeather, Silverleaf, Flamefur, and Darkwing came over the crest of the hill, bleeding and scratched but otherwise okay. Riverpaw was puzzled to find that Lionflower wasn't with them.

"Where's..." Riverpaw trailed off as Sunfeather sadly shook his head. Finchpaw slumped to the ground, sorrow in his eyes. Lionflower had been Finchpaw's grandmother, and Tawnystar was one of the only kin he had left besides Tawnystar's father.

Riverpaw pressed her pelt against his, feeling him relax. They limped up to the other warriors, heads bowed, as they collected Lionflower's body and headed back to camp.

* * *

Tawnystar lay with slit eyes as Sunfeather told of the dog-attack.

"We were out on a hunting patrol, when Lionflower uttered a shriek from behind some hills. The rest of my patrol ran up to her, only to be ambushed by strange dog-like beasts; I scented the mountains on their fur." Sunfeather was explaining. he swallowed past the lump that had formed in his throat.

"Twolegs on horseback came galloping out of nowhere, with gray sticks that attacked the dogs from far away..." he trailed off. "...Lionflower...didn't make it. I'm sorry, Tawnystar." Tawnystar lowered his head to hide his growing sorrow, and he felt hot tears stinging his eyes. He blinked them away and faced Sunfeather again.

"Those dogs you describe sound like wolves." at Sunfeather's puzzled expression, Tawnystar further explained, "Wolves are like dogs, but wilder and bigger than the normal ones out on the moor; the Twolegs with sticks of fire sound like, what did they call it...hunters?" Sunfeather slowly shook his head from side to side.

"Those Twolegs couldn't be hunters; they killed those...wolves...just for the fun of it; they had no intention to eat it, or even thank their ancestors for its life!" Tawnystar dipped his head in understanding.

"Twolegs are strange and dangerous creatures; we must stay away from them and the Horseplace as soon as possible; with green-leaf on the way, who knows what will happen to the moor?"

Sunfeather lowered his head. He raised it again, a question in his eyes. "When you were talking about the hunters...you said 'they' called it. Tawnystar, if you don't mind me asking, who are 'they'?"

Tawnystar sighed, then stood. "Come. Let us mourn with our Clan." still puzzled, Sunfeather dipped his head and followed Tawnystar outside to mourn.

* * *

Riverpaw winced as the poultice of marigold stung into her wounds, and shifted uncomfortably in the cobwebs that surrounded her.

"Hold still," their medicine cat, Swiftbreeze, mewed sharply as he attempted to rub yarrow on her swollen muzzle. "Do you _want _to heal, or not?"

"Sorry," Riverpaw apologized, "it's just that I'm eager to be out training with my litter mates, and I don't really want to be cooped back up in the medicine den for another half-moon! I missed my first Gathering, all because of that shiny eagle..."

"What?" Swiftbreeze's ears pricked, and Riverpaw knew she had said too much.

"Well, you see, um," Riverpaw shifted her paws, "I-I saw this shiny thing, with a picture of an eagle on it near the Horseplace barn. Don't tell Sunfeather I went there on purpose! All I wanted was a little treasure..." Riverpaw couldn't contain herself any longer. Swiftbreeze looked startled, but not surprised.

He tutted. "Oh, apprentices. Always thinking of themselves." Riverpaw flicked her tail at him in annoyance, and he went back to his herb stores.

_Ah well. It could be worse, _a voice at the back of her mind sighed. _You could still be eating fish..._

Riverpaw placed her chin delicately on her cobweb-wrapped paws, thinking about the battle with the strange dogs. _They were so big...were they really dogs at all? And those horrible gray sticks..._Riverpaw shuddered, briefly seeing the frightening Twolegs on their horses. The sound of the crack echoed in her ears, the form of the dog-thing lying motionless before her...

She suddenly remembered her vision with the badger. _Who was she? And how could a badger speak cat? _Riverpaw flicked her ears at a fly. _It sounded like she was speaking of a prophecy...but a prophecy foretelling what? _When the badger had knocked her off course as she was charging at the dog, she had warned her not to fight. It seemed as if StarClan were protecting her a bit too much in Riverpaw's opinion, not letting her fight her own battles properly. She felt a flash of annoyance at Onestar; he was keeping her from controlling her own life!

There was a shout and a hiss outside of the medicine den, and Riverpaw crawled up on her forelegs to see what was the matter.

Silverpaw and Briarpaw were bristling at each other, pain in their eyes. Tawnystar and Flamecloud were murmuring soothingly to each other, and the apprentices flicked their tails and padded sullenly to either side of the clearing.

Riverpaw lay back down again, puzzled. Silverpaw and Briarpaw were best friends, why would they suddenly fight? The light from the den entrance was briefly shadowed as a cat stepped inside.

"Finchpaw. I was just about to ask if you could watch Riverpaw for me while I'm away at the Moonpool." Swiftbreeze's voice sounded behind Riverpaw, and in front of her Finchpaw dipped his head.

"Of course, Swiftbreeze." Finchpaw's voice was like music to Riverpaw's ears as he lay down beside her. She drank in his familiar scent, energized by his presence.

Swiftbreeze gulped down traveling herbs and padded toward the entrance to the den. "Well, I'd best be on my way; it's a long journey." as he passed Riverpaw, she thought he saw him wink. "I'll probably not return until dawn; can you take care of her until then?"

Finchpaw dipped his head. "I'm sure." With another nod of approval, Swiftbreeze exited the den.

As soon as he was gone, Riverpaw turned to Finchpaw. "Are you hurt?" she pressed, flicking her tail back and forth.

Finchpaw shook his head, looking worried. "Not as bad as you. I think your wounds were the most severe out of all of us." Riverpaw blinked, and rested her chin on her paws, gazing outside.

"What happened out there between Briarpaw and Silverpaw?" Riverpaw asked. Finchpaw sighed and shook his head.

"Lionflower was Silverpaw's mentor, and as he was mourning for her Briarpaw said that he could find a new one, without a worry. Briarpaw was just trying to be soothing, but she ended up angering him. He said, 'You don't know how it feels to lose someone close to you!' and then that made Briarpaw defensive, and she started saying that she was about to lose her best friend. They almost got in a bad fight, but Tawnystar and Flamecloud came to part them. It was all a big mess, and now...I don't think they'll talk to each other for a while." Finchpaw licked Riverpaw's ear, and both cats stared at the mourning cats in the center of the clearing.

After a moment of silence, Finchpaw mewed, "Silverpaw should be assigned to a new mentor soon; look, he and Tawnystar are talking with Eaglefeather." sure enough, a saddened Silverpaw and emotionless Tawnystar were speaking with the young warrior, who nodded solemnly and beckoned Silverpaw toward him.

Riverpaw turned away, looking at Finchpaw's gray face set with stunning green eyes looking toward the evening sun. Finchpaw turned to look at her in turn, and after a moment, he cleared his throat and looked away.

"Erm...I-I'll go get you some prey." he mewed quickly. Riverpaw nodded and looked away, her fur burning with embarrassment. Finchpaw stood and padded outside, Riverpaw letting out a quiet sigh as his pelt was illuminated by the setting sun.

Once he was gone, Riverpaw took a moment to clear her thoughts. She knew that she liked Finchpaw a lot, but it still wasn't clear to her wether he liked her back. Silverpaw was also a problem; it seemed as if Briarpaw and him were in a nasty fix. Riverpaw wondered what it was like to lose a friend or someone you care dearly about; Griffinpaw had lost Creekpaw that day, and Silverpaw and Briarpaw had just separated. Silverpaw had lost his mentor as well, and Finchpaw had lost his grandmother. It seemed as if everyone Riverpaw had met had lost someone dear.

She laid her tail-tip over her nose. She had _almost _lost something dear to her; her own life. Finchpaw returned with a mouse, and after Riverpaw was finished eating he announced that he was going to mourn for his kin. Riverpaw, though slightly disappointed that he was leaving, she understood that he needed his time. She let him go, then, as the camp was pitched into darkness, decided to go to sleep.

**Kinda boring chapter, except for the wolves. Tell me what you think!**


	17. Chapter 15: ShadowClan

**This chappie took a while, but I hope you enjoy it! Sorry if my disclaimers are kinda scattered; I haven't been able to access my documents on the doc manager lately! :( **

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Warriors **

**Chapter 15**

_**ShadowClan**_

_ Skullpaw padded carefully underneath the half-bridge, Napoleon eyeing him _carefully. As soon as Skullpaw was settled, Napoleon pressed him with questions.

"Did you observe the other Clans?" he mewed, glaring at Skullpaw hungrily.

Skullpaw hesitated, then answered quietly, "...Yes. I know who are correct choices for recruits. I met a group of apprentices-"

"Bah! Merely kits." Napoleon interrupted, turning away from Skullpaw. Skullpaw's eyes widened and a spark of annoyance flashed inside of him. He went through all this trouble to find eligible recruits, and Napoleon was tossing them off as _kits_?

"You don't understand. These are new apprentices, like me, who can be easily manipulated into helping us." Napoleon was silent, listening. "At the Gathering, I saw the ThunderClan she-cat again, along with her friends. There was Creekpaw and Tinypaw of RiverClan, along with Finchpaw of WindClan; the ThunderClan she-cat's name is Moonpaw. She was there with her brother, Seedpaw." Napoleon turned around, a glint of ambition in his eyes.

"I doubted you at first, Skullpaw, when you told me of your dreams of leadership; but now I believe that your future and mine will become clear as we launch our master plan. Your next assignment; befriend these cats until they treat you as an ally and completely trust you." Skullpaw nodded. Napoleon continued, "Now, go and talk to your other friends in ShadowClan and make sure they trust you as well. Go. I have other things to do." Skullpaw dipped his head and left, plans already forming in his mind.

* * *

"Hey, Hawkpaw!" Skullpaw called across the clearing to the apprentice, who was sharing tongues with his sister, Leopardpaw. Hawkpaw padded over to him, puzzled.

"Yes?" Hawkpaw mewed, dark form looming over Skullpaw's white one.

Skullpaw gulped, swallowing the bile that rose in his throat. "Want to train with me later?" Hawkpaw, still puzzled, nodded. He padded back over to where Leopardpaw was waiting. Blackpaw padded up next to him, nudging him playfully.

"Warming up to my brother, huh?" Blackpaw meowed, a smile in her eyes. Skullpaw shook his head, and Blackpaw glided away, chuckling. Duskstar suddenly leaped onto the Dark Rock, where he yowled for the Clan to gather. The entire day it had been overcast, and Skullpaw tasted a storm on the air as he followed Blackpaw toward the Dark Rock and Duskstar.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath me for a Clan meeting." as the Clan gathered, Hawkpaw and Leopardpaw made their way toward the base of the Dark Rock, their eyes shining with excitement.

As soon as they were beneath the rock, Duskstar began the warrior ceremony. "I, Duskstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." Duskstar beckoned them to step forward.

"Hawkpaw and Leopardpaw, do you promise to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." they answered in unison.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Leopardpaw, from this day forth you shall be known as Leopardclaw. StarClan honors your courage and confidence, and I accept you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." Leopardclaw, eyes shining, padded up toward Duskstar, and as he rested his head on hers she licked his shoulder respectively. She took her place next to the other warriors, who congratulated her warmly.

"Hawkpaw, from this day forth you shall be known as Hawkstrike. StarClan honors your speed and agility in battle, and I accept you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." He rested his head on Hawkstrike's, who licked his shoulder. As he took his place next to his sister, the Clan began to cheer.

"Hawkstrike! Leopardclaw! Hawkstrike! Leopardclaw!"

As the meeting broke, Skullpaw and Blackpaw raced toward them with warm mews of congratulations. "Great job, guys. I guess I won't be training with you." Skullpaw joked, and Hawkstrike laughed. His golden eyes held the sharpness of eagle's, and his very being vibrated with his ambitions.

"Thanks." he mewed, and turned toward where Deathpaw was padding toward them. Leopardclaw turned away, and Skullpaw saw her ears grow red.

"Congratulations, Leopardclaw, Hawkstrike." Deathpaw shoved past Skullpaw, who stumbled sideways. Leopardclaw mumbled her thanks, then the group departed as Hawkstrike and Leopardclaw took their places at the entrance to camp to sit vigil. Dusk was falling, and Skullpaw yawned as he, Blackpaw and Deathpaw made their way to the apprentices' den. He curled up in his nest next to Blackpaw and his other brother, Fuzzypaw, who was shifting restlessly as he tried to get to sleep. Skullpaw thought he heard him murmur, "Tansy...burdock root..." then shook his head and went to sleep.

* * *

Skullpaw awoke to the sound of screeching cats and the smell of burning moss and fur. He jumped up, only to be engulfed in choking, burning soot and ash that clotted his senses and made him gag. Skullpaw staggered around, trying to find the entrance to the den.

He stumbled outside; he saw harsh, orange-red flames licking around their camp, pine trees completely engulfed in the sharp flames. He heard mewling and shrieking coming from the nursery, and saw that it was half-covered with brambles over the entrance. He raced over to help Hawkstrike and Crowmoon as they attempted to reach the trapped kits and queens inside.

"Skullpaw! try digging over there!" Hawkstrike yelled above the roar of the flames. He coughed, spitting out ashes. Skullpaw nodded and started digging, feeling scorched earth around his claws. He managed to move some of the brambles, squeezing through a small passage toward the sound of the kits.

He saw that the bramble and bracken around the nursery was half-burned by the flames, and he squinted through the haze trying to find the cats. He spotted Frenzykit, Waterkit, Grasskit, and their mother cowering in a corner, fear in their eyes.

"Come! This way!" Skullpaw shouted to them, and they looked his way. He led the cats toward his tunnel, leading them safely out before the nursery caved in and shot up in flame behind them.

As Skullpaw showed them to where Hawkstrike and Crowmoon were gathering the other queens and elders, he dashed around checking the dens to see if they were empty. He saw that all of the trees surrounding the camp were engulfed in flames, sending sparks across to the other trees.

The sound of creaking wood and snapping branches made Skullpaw stop dead. He bristled in horror as a great pine tree came falling down, a burning, smoking mass of wood and pine needles.

Skullpaw looked around him to see if there were any other cats in danger, and he spotted Crevicekit mewling and squealing for his mother. There was no one else in sight.

"Crevicekit!" Skullpaw shouted over the creaking of falling wood, and as Crevicekit looked his way the tree fell between them, blasting heat and sparks in both directions.

"Skullpaw!" Blackpaw raced toward him, and started shoving him in the direction of the camp entrance. "Skullpaw, come on! We have everybody."

"No." He whirled around on her, and for the first time Blackpaw could see fear in his eyes. "Crevicekit." Blackpaw looked past him toward the burning tree, and then gasped as a bloodcurdling shriek echoed around the camp.

The tree was huge, blocking any entrance to the other side. The wood was slow-burning, and the sparks it produced were flying toward the dried moss and bracken that were the camp's protection from intruders. One of the strands caught aflame, and Skullpaw watched as it started to spread.

"I'm coming, Crevicekit!" Skullpaw shouted, and he bounded toward one side of the tree. He saw that the tip was where the fire was less-strong, and he barely managed to squeeze through the tiny gap between the tip and the bracken entrance. He smelled scorched fur on his back but he didn't care.

This side of the clearing, the fire was more intense and Skullpaw had to squint to see anything through the smoke and heat. He instead used his ears, tracking the sound of Crevicekit's squeals to where the fire was worst. Crevicekit was half-scorched in a ring of fire that used to be bracken, wailing for his mother or brothers.

Skullpaw held his breath and jumped through the ring, grabbed Crevicekit by the scruff, and jumped out again. He squeezed through the tip and bracken entrance, now just a shriveled plant, and met with Blackpaw.

As he made his way through the forest, the smoke and ashes started to make him dizzy, and Blackpaw had to push him along to make sure he would stay awake. They burst through the forest and onto the lakeshore, where the Clan was gathering and counting its members.

Skullpaw collapsed, breathing fresh air and almost wailing in triumph. Crevicekit lay in a limp bundle in his jaws, unconscious but still breathing steadily.

"My kit! Oh where is my kit!" Fernstem, Crevicekit's mother, was racing around the pebbly beach, asking desperately about her kit.

When she reached Skullpaw and Blackpaw, she practically ripped the kit out of his jaws. "Oh what happened to you!" she cried, licking her kit fiercely. She called over the medicine cat, Dewheart, to have a look at him and Skullpaw.

"You were very brave, Skullpaw," Dewheart mewed as she looked him over. "and you too, Crevicekit." Crevicekit nodded weakly after being waken up by his mother. Skullpaw saw with a pang of sorrow that Crevicekit would never be the same again.

He had patches of fur burned off, and long burns along his flanks, paws, and face. His right eye was swollen shut, and the fur around his paws was dark and hot.

"Poor little thing,"Blackpaw murmured beside him, and Skullpaw managed a nod. He was so exhausted that he could pass out right there if only Blackpaw would let him. They had padded toward the banks of the lake, and Blackpaw made Skullpaw drink some water. Duskstar, padding strongly, came up to the apprentices with shining eyes.

"Terrific job, you two." he rumbled. Blackpaw stepped aside.

"No, it wasn't me. It was Skullpaw who really saved him." she mewed, pushing Skullpaw forward. He looked up into Duskstar's eyes, which were widening in surprise.

"Skullpaw? I wouldn't expect you to be saving kits." Deathpaw's sneer headed towards them, him snickering.

Skullpaw puffed out his chest. "Of course I would! They're the future of ShadowClan." Duskstar seemed pleased by this, and left to stand at the center of the cats.

"Cats of ShadowClan," Duskstar began, "This has been a great tragedy in our forest. Hopefully nothing was damaged too harshly. Crevicekit, please come forward." The Clan uttered puzzled murmurs as Skullpaw watched Fernstem and Crevicekit pad up to where Duskstar stood. "You have suffered the worst wounds of all of us. To forever remember this day, I give you a new name; you shall be Singedkit, to show that StarClan has taken your pelt and given you your scars." Skullpaw blinked. A roar of rage erupted from Hawkfrenzy and some of the other warriors, and Skullpaw saw Dewheart hang her head.

"Why would Duskstar do such a thing?" Blackpaw flicked her tail back and forth on the ground in agitation, and for once Skullpaw couldn't agree more.

"Duskstar! I don't believe that this will help the kit any more," Dewheart meowed strongly, organizing her marigold and horsetail into small piles. "Crevi-Singedkit will already have a memory of this fire, you don't have to base his name on it as well."

Duskstar dipped his head respectively at his medicine cat. "I understand, Dewheart. But StarClan has taken our forest, and they must learn that we are strong and will remember what they have done."

"Yes, but on a _kit?_" that was Softfur, who had hopped to her feet with bristling fur. The light of the still burning fire illuminated Duskstar's grave expression eerily, casting half of his face in shadow. Skullpaw shivered.

After a pause, Duskstar mewed, "My decision is final. He is Singedkit and nothing more, until he is a 'paw or otherwise." Duskstar stalked away, lying down in the shadows next to his mate, Lightfeather.

Skullpaw looked with dismay at Singedkit, who was trembling uncontrollably in front of Dewheart; his mother and brothers lay not too far away, watching their kin in worry. Blackpaw steered Skullpaw away from the gathering and toward Dewheart once more, who began to check him as well.

Skullpaw coughed, his voice dry and raspy as he spoke. "Dewheart, I'm fine. Take more care of-of Singedkit." He breathed in, wheezing as Dewheart signaled for him to lie down.

"Come now, Skullpaw. You were such a hero in there; you need your care as well." Dewheart's eyes were soft, and she started tending to his scorched back and flanks. Skullpaw sighed raggedly as the healing juices of the herbs settled in, and he closed his burning eyes. He heard the padding of paw steps, and he opened his eyes again to see Fuzzypaw and Deathpaw padding up to him.

Fuzzypaw shuffled his paws. "I was worried about you, and so was Deathpaw. When you weren't following us out of the camp, we thought you might've..." He trailed off, and then settled to helping Dewheart heal him. Skullpaw felt a flash of warmth; his brothers had worried about him! Well, at least Fuzzypaw had. He flashed a glance at Deathpaw, who was mumbling grudgingly to himself.

Fuzzypaw pushed poppy seeds in front of Skullpaw, who gulped them down gratefully. He was tired of seeing all of the pain, and the shock of the fire had made him dizzy. He felt reality slipping, and he closed his eyes and entered a soothing, dreamless sleep.

**Review! What do you think caused the fire? Could it be a _French_**_** Pastry? **_***hint* **


	18. Chapter 16: RiverClan

**Here it is! Over 50 reviews! *claps heartily* Thank you Serpent's Ballet, PinkRhinosAreBest, and all the rest of you for reading and reviewing this from the very beginning; kudos to you!**

**Enjoy.**

**Chapter 16**

_**RiverClan**_

_Tinypaw narrowed her eyes, staring at Fishsplash with _worry and hatred. Why would he accuse her of murder? She shook her head, sighing. She didn't know, but she aimed to find out.

She padded over to him, puffing out her chest. "Excuse me, Fishsplash?" He cut short in his conversation with Darkfoot and stared at her.

"What do you want?" He growled. Tinypaw signaled for them to talk in private, and he shrugged and followed her.

Tinypaw led him to a small clearing with peaty ground that was out of earshot from the camp. It was quiet except for the buzzing of evening insects.

As Tinypaw sat down, her mind went abuzz with her prepared speech. She had been working up the courage to talk to him all day, and now that she had his attention she couldn't back down.

She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Why...Why did you accuse me?" She didn't need to mention Creekpaw; he already knew what she was talking about.

Fishsplash played a look of innocence on his face. "Why, I don't know what you mean, Tinypaw." Tinypaw felt a flash of anger.

"You know _fully_ what I'm talking about. I know what you said to Blazestar about what happened to Creekpaw, and I know it was a lie. Why did you _accuse me?_**" **Fishsplash narrowed his brown eyes.

"To make sure that your Clan lost your trust, so you would go running off to find some friends that would accept you." Fishsplash mewed smoothly, eying a grasshopper as if bounced away in the bushes. Tinypaw blinked; she hadn't thought it would be so easy. Then again, he could be lying.

"Okay, fine. But I knew it was you who pushed her, so don't try to deny it!" She tried to sound as intimidating as she could, though her shaking legs gave her away as nervous.

There was silence as they glared at each other. Tinypaw was surprised with herself; she didn't know she could be so assertive. Fishsplash blinked his narrowed eyes. "Fine. I did it. I pushed her, over the edge. But what're you, an insignificant apprentice, going to do about it? You won't speak of this to anyone." Fishsplash's voice was a dangerous whisper, and Tinypaw shivered inwardly.

"Too late. Blazestar and Mistpool already know the real side of the story." That made Fishsplash snarl. He lunged at her throat, and Tinypaw was too surprised to react fast enough. She felt the air being pushed out of her as Fishsplash held his paws at her throat, preventing air from filling her lungs.

He leaned down to whisper in her ear, his hot breath tickling her ear fur. "You _never speak of this to anyone. _Or you'll end up just like _innocent _Creekpaw; broken at the bottom of the lake." Tinypaw gulped, her vision clouding as the air and strength left her. Fishsplash hopped off of her, Tinypaw gasping and gulping for air. He ran back to camp, leaving Tinypaw in the growing darkness with only the toads for company.

_He had tried to kill her, _Tinypaw thought with a shudder as she headed back to camp. He had threatened to murder her if she spoke of his treason to anyone. She entered camp and padded briskly to the apprentices' den, curling up in her nest and shaking uncontrollably. Which should she choose; her life, or her Clan?

* * *

She awoke before dawn to the faint smell of smoke in the air, and immediately jumped up out of her nest. The other apprentices stirred and sat up, blinking the sleep out of their eyes.

"Wha' is it?" Echopaw mumbled, his words slurred with sleep.

"I think I smell fire." Tinypaw mewed, sniffing deeply. Indeed, it was a fire, but it didn't seem to be in their territory; a flickering orange-yellow light in the distance confirmed her worries. She ran out of the apprentices' den across the clearing to where Blazestar slept inside a patch of reeds and mud.

"Blazestar?" Tinypaw whispered, and she saw the reeds stir. A few moments later, Blazestar was padding out, blinking.

"What is it, Tinypaw?" Blazestar rumbled. Tinypaw shuffled her paws.

"I smell fire, coming from the ShadowClan border." She mumbled. Blazestar looked at her sharply. He breathed in deeply, ears perking up.

"You're right. Good work." He nodded at her, then started retreating back into his den.

"Wait!" Tinypaw cried, and he looked at her expectantly. "Aren't we going to do something about it?" She was shocked that Blazestar would just dismiss it.

"It's not in our territory, and it's not my Clan, so why should I worry?" Blazestar growled, and Tinypaw widened her eyes at him.

"_Why should you worry? _Innocent cats could be in danger, and you're just going to sit here?" Tinypaw had to convince him! She waited impatiently as he took his time before answering.

"I suppose so. Fine, I'll wake a patrol." Blazestar seemed uncomfortable that he was being bossed around by an apprentice, but Tinypaw didn't care; he should know better, in her opinion.

She watched as Blazestar entered the warriors' den, coming out a few moments later with Darkfoot, Icepool, Moontail, and Adderfang. They then collected the apprentices Echopaw and Swallowpaw; Tinypaw joined them at the entrance to camp.

"Tell me what this is about again?" Adderfang grumbled as Tinypaw approached.

Blazestar huffed, "Tinypaw scented fire at the ShadowClan border-"

"Wait wait. We're woken up before dawn just because an apprentice scented some _smoke_? How do we know this isn't another one of her tricks; I mean, she already killed Creekpaw." Darkfoot mewed from the back of the group, and Tinypaw bristled as shocked murmurs passed around, along with furtive glances in her direction.

Blazestar laid his tail-tip on Tinypaw's shoulder. "You are misinformed, Darkfoot, she had nothing to do with her death. Now, these are my orders as well; will you disobey your leader?" Darkfoot mumbled something unintelligible and narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Tinypaw felt a flash of gratitude toward her leader; she knew that their small disagreement the other night had left them with a tighter bond.

The patrol set off, padding across the marshland toward the silent Greenleaf Twolegplace. There were no Twolegs in sight as they reached its edge, and Tinypaw could tell the smell of smoke was getting stronger as they neared it. She could hear suspicious murmurs at the back of their patrol, where Darkfoot padded grudgingly behind her.

She pricked her ears for the sound of monsters, then led the way across the MonsterPlace. The ground felt hard and unnatural under paw, and she saw harsh white streaks accenting the black-gray of the Thunderpath. She looked to her right and saw the half bridge and shivered, remembering her encounter with Napoleon and Skullpaw. Echopaw and Swallowpaw were wary as they crossed, and Adderfang had to convince them that it was safe.

Finally, they made it to the edge of ShadowClan territory, Tinypaw staggering back as an overwhelming heat engulfed the patrol. The crackle of flames could be heard within the forest, and all cats instinctively took a step backward.

"Why don't we go along the lakeshore?" Adderfange suggested, and the patrol made its way toward the banks. They kept three tail-lengths away from the water, as was a law that was set down by the leaders of the Great Journey that traveled to the lake seasons ago.

Tinypaw scented ShadowClan ahead, and soon they saw what looked like the entire ShadowClan camp on the pebbly shore.

"What's going on here?" Adderfang commanded when the patrol approached. Most ShadowClan cats looked their way, but most of the normal hostility was gone in their eyes. Tinypaw shivered; their eyes were dulled somehow, like all of them had suffered greatly.

Duskstar, who was speaking with his mate a couple of fox-lengths away stood and started to approached them; Tinypaw saw a look of grave defeat in his features, and she shrank back behind the rest of the patrol.

"Yes?" Duskstar mewed smoothly, not betraying any emotion. Adderfang dipped his head in respect.

"We saw smoke and fire and came to see if anything was the matter," Adderfang explained. He looked around. "A lot of you look unhurt, but it seems as if your medicine cat is running out of herbs; RiverClan would be happy to give you some."

Tinypaw was surprised; Adderfang was acting so friendly with these cats, it seemed as if his usually hostile nature evaporated when he saw they were in need.

Duskstar dipped his head, looking wary. "Thank you for the offer, but I don't think we can accept anything except shelter for the night. Our entire forest is aflame, and doesn't seem to be nearing a stopping point."

Adderfang exchanged a look with Icepool, thinking. "Do you have any idea what started this disaster?"

"It's usually caused by lightning, but this time doesn't seem to be the case. It has been fairly dry, so maybe it just appeared." Duskstar turned and looked toward a cream she-cat who was approaching them with a drooping tail.

"Softfur," Duskstar greeted her, "these RiverClan cats are offering their hospitality after this tragic accident."

Softfur dipped her head to them in a tired greeting. "Duskstar, I don't think we can afford to go without their help; a ThunderClan patrol has already arrived at the opposite bank offering their help as well."

Duskstar tipped his head to the side, thinking. Tinypaw looked over to where the rest of the camp was resting. The elders, placed the farthest from the flames, were coughing and choking horribly, one already lying motionless in front of a defeated medicine cat. A cream apprentice was beside the medicine cat, handing her herbs and water-soaked moss. Across from the elders were two tired-looking apprentices beside a sleeping apprentice, and Tinypaw recognized Deathpaw from the gathering with Skullpaw sleeping beside him. The black she-cat lay next to Skullpaw, their pelts pressed together, and Tinypaw felt a rush of sympathy for them. Skullpaw had nasty burns of his back, and Tinypaw watched as the black she-cat laid her head on her paws, preparing for an uneasy sleep.

Most of the warriors were tending to the other queens, the kits tiredly collapsed at their mother's bellies. A certain kit, one with particularly bad scars and burns, was whimpering next to his mother and brothers, who were trying to soothe him with words of comfort. The fire illuminated all of their miserable expressions, making Tinypaw look away in fear that she might whimper herself at the sorry sight. All of the warriors were burned and missing clumps of fur, but didn't seem to be as harmed as the kit or Skullpaw.

She tuned back in to the conversation at hand. "All right. We will accept your help, as well as ThunderClan's. We need many legs to stand on to rebuild our camp and our Clan." that was Duskstar, finally giving in to their offer of help. Tinypaw felt delighted that they were going to help these cats, then a prickle of unease; she was going to be working with Skullpaw when he awoke, and she hoped that he wouldn't take much notice and that she could stay as far away from him as possible.

Tinypaw watched as Duskstar padded away toward the small shapes of the ThunderClan cats in the distance, Softfur showing them which herbs could help heal the burns and wounds that the cats of ShadowClan now possessed. Echopaw and Swallowpaw went back to camp for the herbs while the rest of the patrol went to check up on the warriors and kits, leaving Tinypaw to explore around and talk to some of the apprentices.

She recognized Moonpaw and Seedpaw from the ThunderClan patrol, and she ran up to greet them.

"Hi!" she mewed cheerily, and they greeted her with warm mews. "How's your training?"

Seedpaw answered, "Going quite well, actually. So, some fire, huh? There's an old ThunderClan story about a fire in the old forest driving out the Clan to accept help from RiverClan; this is kind of similar, yes?"

Tinypaw blinked. "I guess so. How did you find out about the fire?"

"One of our sentries spotted the smoke, and they told Oakstar about it; he organized a patrol to go investigate, and, well, here we are." Moonpaw explained.

"Same thing, here," Tinypaw admitted, "except I was the first to notice."

Seedpaw looked surprised. "Wow. Great job, then." Tinypaw reddened at his praise, and all of them laughed openly.

Once they had settled down, Moonpaw suggested, "Come on. We'll introduce you to the other cats of our patrol." Tinypaw nodded and followed her over to where a group of ThunderClan cats was chatting.

"Greenmoss, Gingereyes, Sootpaw, this is Tinypaw, a RiverClan apprentice that we met at the Gathering." Moonpaw introduced them, and Tinypaw shyly shuffled her paws.

"Hello, Tinypaw. You're not very tiny at all now that you're an apprentice." Gingereyes remarked, and Tinypaw stood a little taller at his praise.

Greenmoss turned to them. "Softfur just approached us, asking if we could hunt; most of the prey would've run away by now, and-"

A harsh shrieking cut her short, and all of the cats whirled around toward the Greenleaf Twolegplace. Flashing red and white lights appeared around the corner, and a huge red monster barreled into the MonsterPlace. All of the cats ran away from there in fright, Tinypaw shaking in her fur.

The monster halted on the ShadowClan border, other monsters with flashing lights appearing in the MonsterPlace. The Greenleaf TwolegPlace was suddenly buzzing with activity, Twolegs racing about with long green tubes in their paws. Suddenly, torrents of water shot out of the tubes and onto the fire, showering the cats nearest it in water.

The water seemed to be working, as the fire was burning slower and duller as its power was extinguished. Soon, most of the fire by the border was calmed, leaving the pine trees scorched and soaking. The Twolegs shouted to one another, then ran into the forest, the green tube trailing behind them.

The Clan cats bristled as the Twoleg voices grew closer, and Duskstar ordered for everyone to run farther along the beach. Tinypaw, Moonpaw, Seedpaw, and most of the rest of the ThunderClan patrol streaked away, back toward where the river wound its way down into the lake. Tinypaw felt a cool breeze slap her face, and she realized they were at the border where ThunderClan territory was separated from WindClan's moors. Crickets were chirping nearby, and all was quiet as the cats watched the light of the fire slowly being extinguished. As soon as the fire was out, all of the Twolegs got back into their monsters and barreled away, leaving ShadowClan's once grand pine forest shriveled and dripping.

Slowly, the cats began to pad back toward the beach of ShadowClan's territory, warily glancing at the Greenleaf TwolegPlace. Tinypaw sat down, panting, next to Moonpaw and Seedpaw, the black ShadowClan apprentice and Deathpaw and Skullpaw coming to join them.

"That was...strange." the black apprentice mewed, a puzzled and frightened look in her violet eyes.

"...Yeah." Skullpaw agreed, wincing as Deathpaw's tail brushed his back. Tinypaw and Skullpaw's eyes locked momentarily, then Skullpaw parted his jaws in a yawn.

"Well, I'm not going to sit and ponder this anymore tonight; my back is killing me." Skullpaw meowed goodnight to the apprentices, then curled up a little ways away.

Seeing Tinypaw's dumbfounded expression, the black she-cat laughed. "Don't worry, Skullpaw's always like that. I'm Blackpaw, by the way."

"Tinypaw." Tinypaw told her, then blinked away her worries. Had she seen...regret in his eyes, when they looked at each other? She shook away the thought; why would he be regretful?

"Tinypaw!" Adderfang called from a couple of tail-lengths away.

"Oh, that's Adderfang. I'd better go." Tinypaw mewed quickly. She said goodbye to the others, then joined her patrol to go home.

As they reentered their camp, Adderfang went straight to Blazestar's den to report what had happened. Tinypaw saw the first rays of sunlight on the horizon, and she groaned. She still had a full day ahead of her.

Icepool laid her tail-tip on her shoulder. "No, Tinypaw. You rest today." Tinypaw's heart soared at the thought of sleep, and she mewed a quick thank-you before running into the apprentices' den and collapsing into her nest. Last night was so hectic, and she was going to go back to it tomorrow...or sunhigh...or this evening...

Tinypaw lost her train of thought as sleep fell upon her.

**What's better than murder and fire? Mostly everything...Please review! Also, check out the poll on my profile; it's a real stumper. :)**


	19. Chapter 17: WindClan

**Sorry for the slow update...we were in N.Y. for a week!**

**Enjoy...**

**Chapter 17**

_**WindClan**_

_ Riverpaw swallowed the herbs, tasting their bitterness _on her tongue. She had been in the medicine den for three days, and today she was going back to training. Silverpaw, Gorgepaw, and Applepaw were waiting outside for her, anxious for her arrival.

"Can I go now, Swiftbreeze?" Riverpaw asked, kneading her paws on the ground. After a moment, he nodded, and Riverpaw eagerly met her friends outside.

"Come on, let's go train." Gorgepaw offered, and together the apprentices went to find their mentors.

Once settled in their training clearing, the apprentices watched as their mentors took battle posture.

"Now," Gorgepaw's mentor, Harestep, mewed, taking a defensive stance, "you take a firm stance, keeping your paws planted on the ground and evenly distributing your body weight between all four paws." She demonstrated, and offered Silverpaw to come knock her over. Silverpaw hesitated, then jumped on her, only to be pushed back.

"Brilliant!" He breathed, and sat up shaking the sand from his fur.

Harestep laughed, then mewed, "See? If you ground yourself and keep firm, even the toughest opponent can't knock you down. Come; Riverpaw, Silverpaw, you two try out first." Riverpaw eagerly jumped to her feet, padding to the center of the clearing where Harestep stood. She took the same stance as she had, Harestep adjusting her shoulders and head position until she was good. She focused all of her body weight into her paws, feeling the power of the ground beneath her paws.

"Now, Silverpaw, do the same thing to her as you did to me," Harestep meowed, and Silverpaw prepared to jump. Riverpaw braced herself, keeping focus. Silverpaw suddenly charged at her, almost managing to knock her off of her feet. Riverpaw kept steady though, pushing him back again with what felt like the power behind a bear's claws. Silverpaw regained his balance, while Gorgepaw and Applepaw yowled their approval.

Riverpaw's mentor padded up to her, eyes shining. "Terrific, Riverpaw! Gorgepaw, you next!" Riverpaw took her stance, focusing her strengths. Gorgepaw couldn't succeed in knocking her over, and neither could Applepaw. Riverpaw remained steady every time, and they continued until it was almost sunhigh.

"You have great balance," Gorgepaw's mentor observed, and Riverpaw felt warmed by her praise. "Come on, let's go back to camp; after a quick meal you can join a patrol." Riverpaw dipped her head, and followed the other apprentices out of the training clearing.

Riverpaw picked a mouse from the fresh-kill pile and padded to join Finchpaw and Applepaw near the nursery to eat.

"How was your training?" Finchpaw asked her as she approached, and, beside him, Applepaw groaned.

"She was great at the balancing, but everyone else did poorly," Applepaw shuffled her paws, "...especially me."

"No," Riverpaw corrected, "you were actually really close to gaining perfect balance when you were in that stance; plus, it's a new move that we have to master." Applepaw sat a little taller at her sister's praise, and Finchpaw nodded his head in approval.

"Good, I'm glad it went well," He mewed as Riverpaw took her place beside him; briefly their pelts brushed, and both cats moved away sheepishly. Once Riverpaw had finished her mouse, she padded toward the place where Silverpaw, Eaglefeather, Flamecloud, and Asterfall were gathering for a border patrol. She cast a glance back toward Finchpaw, then padded out of the camp.

She breathed in the fresh scents of the moor, feeling the wind in her fur as the patrol streaked across their territory toward the ThunderClan border. They slowed as they neared the border river, sniffing warily for a ThunderClan patrol. Riverpaw looked from side to side, looking to the left where the lakeshore lay in the distance, then to the right where the Moonpool lay for the medicine cats at half-moon. She heard a rustle across the border and pricked her ears, hissing as she scented fresh ThunderClan. All cats looked into the underbrush, bristling as a brown tabby shape suddenly darted out of the bushes. It was pursuing a squirrel, which hopped the river and across the border until it was lost over the moorland hills.

The brown tabby shape skidded to a stop at the river, hissing in annoyance at her lost prey. She pricked her ears and turned toward the WindClan patrol, then folded them back in fright.

"And just what do you think you're doing?" Eaglefeather yowled, standing firmly at the edge of the border.

The brown tabby, which turned out to be an unfamiliar she-cat, bristled and widened her yellow eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I was just..."

"Hunting." A voice rumbled in the forest, and a ginger tabby she-cat emerged along with two apprentices, one Riverpaw recognized as Moonpaw from the previous Gathering; the other, however, was a small gray tabby tom, who's frightened blue eyes were wide as he saw the large patrol of WindClan cats.

Flamecloud dipped her head in respect. "Greenmoss," she mewed, "We saw this apprentice chasing a squirrel almost over the border; ThunderClan should watch over their apprentices's better."

Greenmoss slit her eyes, but didn't comment at Flamecloud's snide remark. "Gorsepaw won't do it again. Come on, let's go-"

"Gorsekit?" Silverpaw muttered disbelievingly beside Riverpaw; she looked at him, and saw that he was staring at the brown tabby she-cat with shock. Riverpaw knew that Silverpaw had lost his two sisters, Icekit and Gorsekit, when they wandered off one day and never came back; Silverpaw had vowed that, when he was apprenticed as a warrior, he would dedicate himself to becoming strong enough to go and search for them.

Gorsepaw's fur lay flat on her shoulders. "It's Gorse_paw_ now. And...how do you know my old name...?"

Silverpaw sputtered, "You, and Icekit, ran off as kits and never came back..." Silverpaw trailed off. "...I've found you now! Come home, sister." Silverpaw looked around. "Where's Icekit? She's here too?"

Gorsepaw took a step back, her eyes uncertain and hostile. "What are you talking about? I don't know you; I'm ThunderClan now, and you're not my family!"

Riverpaw saw that Silverpaw had also taken a step back, eyes narrowed in confusion. "Y-Yes you are, don't you remember? I'm your big brother, Silverpaw! We were going to train together, and fight side...by-side." Silverpaw shook his head, and Gorsepaw padded backwards into the undergrowth.

"How do you know so much about me? Just, leave me alone!" Gorsepaw cried, and she took off into the trees.

"Gorsepaw!" Greenmoss called, and she ran after her. Uncertain of what to do next, Moonpaw and the gray tabby followed their Clanmates back into the forest.

As soon as the ferns stopped rustling from where they had left, Silverpaw slumped to the ground. "She didn't...recognize me..."

Riverpaw began to lay her tail-tip on his shoulder, but he shoved her away.

Asterfall studied Silverpaw, confusion written on his features. "What was that about? Are you all right, Silverpaw?" Silverpaw closed his eyes, stood, then opened them again. As he did, Riverpaw saw with a sinking heart that they had turned hard and cold.

"Yes. I'm fine. Let's go." He padded away, tail dragging in the dust behind him. Riverpaw exchanged a look of worry with Flamecloud, then warily followed.

Silverpaw had been seriously scarred; his own sister, with no memory of her previous Clan...or her real family.

**Kinda short chapter, promise the next one will be longer! I couldn't really get in the zone with this chapter, but it had to be written. Please review!**


	20. Chapter 18: ThunderClan

**Chapter 18**

_**ThunderClan**_

_ Moonpaw looked back at the WindClan border, _a bewildered expression on her face. Silverpaw's sudden outburst about Gorsepaw had left the she-cat shivering, thinking about how he could have known about her life.

_He had said he was her brother,_ Moonpaw thought, _and yet she has no memory before her first moon, alone; could it be...that Silverpaw was telling the truth?_

Behind her, Pebblepaw bumped into her flank, for she had stopped abruptly trying to organize her thoughts. "Moonpaw, _move._ Gorsepaw and Greenmoss are already there!"

Blinking out of her stupor, she nodded to Pebblepaw and kept going until they reached the ThunderClan hollow.

The camp was buzzing with activity when the patrol arrived back; the warriors were reinforcing the nursery walls with sharp thorns and brambles, while many apprentices were frantically going in and out of the medicine den carrying tangy herbs in their jaws.

Moonpaw padded up to where Seedpaw was helping Scatteredpaw organize the herbs at the entrance to the camp.

"What's all this?" Moonpaw inquired as she approached them.

Scatteredpaw snorted. "You should know. ShadowClan needs herbs, and we are their supplier." Moonpaw could tell by her tone of voice that she was still upset with her for telling her and Flickerpaw off the other day; Moonpaw twitched her whiskers at the thought.

"I do know, _Scatteredpaw,_ and I actually got off of my lazy butt and volunteered to help them with their patrol!" Moonpaw growled, spitting Scatteredpaw's name. Scatteredpaw hissed, both she-cat's bristling nose-to-nose.

"All right. Scatteredpaw, Moonpaw, come with me." Greenmoss's sharp mew from behind made Moonpaw start, and she turned around to see Greenmoss organizing a patrol of warriors to go to the ShadowClan makeshift camp on the beach. She padded with slit eyes next to Scatteredpaw over to them, Seedpaw exchanging a confused look with Pebblepaw behind them.

"What was that about, d'you think?" Pebblepaw whispered. He looked in between the growing gap that separated Moonpaw from Scatteredpaw. "They used to be good friends as kits."

Seedpaw just shrugged. " I don't know. She-cats are strange creatures." Pebblepaw agreed.

* * *

Moonpaw followed the retreating tail of Greenmoss, Scatteredpaw far behind her.

I don't need her, Moonpaw thought. She shook her head. Scatteredpaw had been her good friend before, but then, she started hanging out with the biggest gossip in the Clan; Flickerpaw. Moonpaw despised what Flickerpaw had done to their friendship.

The trees thinned, and soon smooth pebbles of the lakeshore replaced the soft grass of their forest. Moonpaw's loathing evaporated as she once again caught sight of the ruined ShadowClan. The elders and senior warriors, looking better than they had the previous night, were sitting around a lifeless body, heads bowed. The apprentices from ShadowClan that Moonpaw had seen earlier were awake and moving; Deathpaw and Skullpaw, looking and moving in sync, were soaking burt moss and dripping it into the tiny mouths of the kits mewling by their tired mothers' bellies. Blackpaw, sitting not far away, spotted Moonpaw and raced up to her.

"Moonpaw," Blackpaw exclaimed as they touched noses. They broke away, Moonpaw seeing distress in Blackpaw's once-hard violet eyes.

"What's the matter?" Greenmoss demanded.

Blackpaw shivered. "It's Huntstealth. He...he's..."

"Joined StarClan." Duskstar mewed gravely as he approached the group. He closed his eyes and took a ragged breath; Moonpaw thought he sounded moons older. "He was...a proud cat, true ShadowClan. My father...as well."

Greenmoss suddenly laid her tail-tip on his shoulder. "I'm sorry." she mewed simply. Duskstar nodded, and there was a moment of silence in the little group.

Featherstream and Yarrowtail, carrying the herbs, were sent over to where Fuzzypaw and Dewheart were collecting their supplies over by the edge of the scorched forest.

Duskstar turned to Moonpaw, Scatteredpaw, and Blackpaw. "Blackpaw, bring Moonpaw to where the prey is being gathered."

"Yes, Duskstar." Blackpaw dipped her head, and beckoned Moonpaw with her tail toward a feeble pile of mice and voles.

As soon as Duskstar was gone, Blackpaw turned to Moonpaw. "All right. You know how badly our forest is harmed, correct?" Moonpaw nodded. "Well, as soon as Skullpaw is finished with the moss, you, me, him, and, when the RiverClan patrol arrives, Tinypaw, we will go into the forest to scout around. Also coming are Greenmoss of your Clan, Thunderbreeze of RiverClan, and Softfur, of our Clan." Moonpaw mewed her thanks, and she peeked over Blackpaw's shoulder to where Skullpaw was setting his moss aside; he saw her waved his tail, and started padding towards them.

"You look better today," Moonpaw remarked; his back burns were still pretty serious, but they didn't seem as red or raw anymore.

"Yeah. I feel better; my burns aren't as sore as they were last night, too." Skullpaw answered, and Moonpaw noticed that he was in a better mood.

"He got those burns when he saved Singedkit from the flames, even when everyone else had left. He's really brave!" Blackpaw sighed; she noticed that Skullpaw and Moonpaw were looking at her with puzzled expressions, and she blushed under her fur and looked away. Moonpaw giggled. It seemed like Blackpaw had feelings for Skullpaw.

Deahtpaw, eyes narrowed, trotted over to them; he shoved Skullpaw aside, knocking him to the ground to reach Blackpaw.

"Hey, Blackpaw?" he mewed cheerily. Blackpaw rolled her eyes.

"What is it, Deathpaw?" Blackpaw asked, voice emotionless.

Deathpaw glared at Skullpaw, then meowed loudly, "Do you want to hunt with me-alone-tonight?" Moonpaw shifted her gaze from Blackpaw's emotionless expression, to Deathpaw's jealous one, to Skullpaw's horrified one.

There was a tense silence as Blackpaw thought of her answer. She turned to look at Skullpaw. "I'm sorry, but I already have plans with Skullpaw."

"What plans?" Skullpaw and Deathpaw mewed in unison. They looked to each other, Skullpaw on the ground, Deathpaw standing.

Blackpaw rolled her eyes to Moonpaw. "Toms." she mewed. Then, to the boys, "We're already going to help Softfur and RiverClan scavenge for bracken and moss tonight." Deathpaw looked shocked and disappointed; he muttered something dark under his breath that sounded to Moonpaw like, "Piece of mouse-dung.", then he walked away, back toward his task of soaking moss in water and patching up the queens' and kits' wounds.

Moonpaw saw the RiverClan patrol far up on the beach, and saw a gray-brown form start racing towards them, calling their names.

"Hey, Tinypaw, Thunderbreeze," Moonpaw greeted the RiverClan cats, looking up into Thunderbreeze's merry green eyes.

"Good morning, Moonpaw. I haven't seen you since the Gathering," Thunderbreeze rumbled, and Moonpaw was slightly intimidated by his leering form. She looked to Tinypaw, preparing a greeting, but she held her tongue as she saw that Tinypaw was staring at Skullpaw, fear and enchantment in her eyes. She looked to Skullpaw, who was staring at Tinypaw in the same way. The look must have lasted a second, ending when both cats reddened and turned away.

"I-I'll go get Softfur," Skullpaw announced suddenly, and trotted over to where his deputy was speaking with a couple of warriors.

That reminded Moonpaw to go fetch Greenmoss, and when she returned the patrol was getting ready to set off.

Greenmoss huddled the group together. "Right. Softfur has informed me that their camp was located not far from the center of the forest, and she will lead us that far. Our mission is to one: explore the area for more Twolegs and two: find a suitable makeshift camp for ShadowClan while the original camp is restored. Got that?" Every cat nodded, and the group broke.

Moonpaw followed behind the group, padding behind Skullpaw and Tinypaw, with Blackpaw just ahead of them. As she entered the once-great pine forest, she saw with a pang of pity that the pines' trunks were scorched and branches bare, a few withering pine needles blowing in the breeze. The ground beneath her paws was dark and dry, with pieces of half-burned pinecones and dead bracken blowing in the breeze. The trees around her, usually shading the ground beneath, were like giant spikes spearing the sky, which looked more open now that the pine cover was withered away. Moonpaw had never seen such misery.

She shook her head and trained her gaze forward, at Skullpaw and Tinypaw. Tinypaw, to Moonpaw's surprise, seemed more relaxed around Skullpaw now that they were helping ShadowClan openly. She had seemed so tense when they had first met at the Gathering, and then when the fire was raging only a night ago. Now...they were speaking as if they were old friends; or, at least, new friends becoming good.

Moonpaw padded closer to them, listening to their conversation. "-and then I leapt into the fire ring and snatched Singedkit in my jaws. I ran right out of there, but I still have these burns to remember what I did." Skullpaw was saying, and Moonpaw saw fear and excitement in Tinypaw's eyes as he finished his story.

"Wow," Tinypaw breathed, "that's amazing!"

Skullpaw reddened slightly. "Um, thanks. So...how come you're mentor is your mom? I thought they weren't supposed to mentor their own children."

Tinypaw snorted in annoyance. "That's what I tried to tell her. But...she's just so protective, that before I was an apprentice, I had no freedom. I couldn't even go to _dirt place _without her hovering outside." Skullpaw laughed, eyes twinkling with amusement. Her joke made Tinypaw laugh as well, until both were trying to calm themselves down. Moonpaw blinked as she passed them, taking a place beside Blackpaw.

"It seems as if Tinypaw isn't scared of Skullpaw anymore, huh?" Moonpaw mewed to Blackpaw, looking back at the chatting apprentices.

Blackpaw just stared ahead with slit eyes. "Yeah. They're like...old buddies back there." Moonpaw was puzzled; was there a hint of a growl in Blackpaw's voice?

In front of her, Thunderbreeze signaled for the patrol to stop. "Softfur found something." Moonpaw craned her neck around his dusky ginger form to see Softfur sniffing around a withered bush.

"Over here, Thunderbreeze," Softfur meowed, and the apprentices and the warrior padded toward her and Greenmoss, who were poking their head inside the bush and sniffing around.

As Moonpaw approached Greenmoss, the deputy faced her and mewed to her puzzled apprentice, "We think we've found a clearing where ShadowClan can stay." Moonpaw blinked in surprise. She looked behind her; the lake had disappeared behind them, and the hill they were on was rising steadily upward toward the second Greenleaf TwolegPlace, where the Twolegs brought their green pelt-dens and sticks of fire. Now, that clearing was empty, with little indents in the ground where the pelt-dens were pitched.

Softfur flicked her tail, and the patrol followed her out of the charred woods and into the TwolegPlace; Moonpaw smelled Twoleg rubbish and crow-food on the outskirts of the Twolegpath nearby, but other than that this was the perfect place for ShadowClan to stay.

Softfur looked around. "I doubt Duskstar will be happy with our result, but it's the only place we've got. Come; it's almost sun high. We should be getting back." Moonpaw took one last look at ShadowClan's temporary camp, then followed Thunderbreeze and Blackpaw back toward the beach.

"This was a pointless journey," Moonpaw heard Skullpaw mutter, and she exchanged an exasperated look with Blackpaw.

"At least you found a better camp," Tinypaw pointed out. "It's better than all of you crowding along the beach; and there's a a pool of water nearby that I saw on the way."

Skullpaw snorted, but didn't reply. Moonpaw knew that he was just worried for his Clan, so she didn't bother telling him off for his behavior. Blackpaw, however, looked as if she wanted to say a few choice words to him. Moonpaw saw that she was about to speak, and gently brushed her tail over her mouth. Blackpaw looked at her, and Moonpaw shook her head slowly from side to side.

The way down the hill looked worse than the way up. As they reentered the forest, Moonpaw saw that they were near the Twoleg nest that held, according to ShadowClan "mangy kittypets" and a pesky Twoleg. As she passed by it, she saw that some of the pines near it had caught aflame in the fire, and that a peculiar white foam was hanging off of the branches and at the base of some tree trunks.

Greenmoss padded up to it, sticking in her face. She pulled it out quickly, sputtering as the foam got into her mouth; it was all over her face, and the apprentices let out small giggles as she attempted to wipe it off.

She eventually scraped it off on a bush and with her tail, muttering. She reported back to the patrol, "It isn't early snow, since it isn't cold. It feels like a piece of cloud fell from the sky." At the same time, everyone looked up, but the sky was a cloudless blue.

"I'd keep your paws out of it," Thunderbreeze warned. "You don't know what it could do to you if consumed." Moonpaw padded around, trying to find her way around it somehow; but it was blocking off all entries, and she was scared to touch it.

" I guess we'll have to get closer to the Twoleg nest," Blackpaw sighed, and Greenmoss nodded. Softfur looked unsure but, seeing as she was outnumbered in votes, she followed them along.

As they approached, they could hear loud Twoleg voices coming from the nest, and also the _tinking_ of objects among the shouting. Greenmoss nodded to Softfur, not daring to say a word. She hopped onto the great stone wall that surrounded the nest, and for a second she disappeared. After a couple heartbeats her head popped over the wall, and she whispered, "All clear." One by one, the cats made their way onto the wall, Moonpaw leaping up strongly and hardly making a sound. Tinypaw was last, and with a heave and a small grunt she half-stood, half-wobbled on the wall in front of Moonpaw.

The hard stone felt unnatural on Moonpaw's pads, and she could see that vines were slowly making their way along the side of the wall. She made a small prayer to StarClan that she wouldn't trip and fall from one of them.

She followed Tinypaw step-by small-step across the wall, looking out on the forest to see where the trail of strange cloud ended. She saw it up ahead, and with relief she heard the noises of the nest begin to fade as they padded around it. Moonpaw had never noticed how big the nest was.

Suddenly, a harsh screech filled the air, making the Clan cats freeze mid stride. Moonpaw felt her eyes widen, and she could see a dark form flitting along the wall toward them.

"Great StarClan," Tinypaw whispered before her. Moonpaw craned her neck over Tinypaw's shoulder and saw two enormous cats standing menacingly in front of Softfur on the wall, claws unsheathed and teeth bared.

She strained her ears to listen to what Softfur was saying to them. "We don't mean to cause trouble, now-"

"Get off of our territory!" The largest, a big black and white tom, snarled at her, bristling and moving forward.

But Softfur held her ground. "We will leave your territory and back into our own. Let. Us. Pass." She said this with such menace that Moonpaw felt herself shiver.

Out of nowhere, a Large brown tabby tom appeared below them, snarling and sliding his claws out. The tom next to the black and white hissed.

"You. Ain't goin'. Nowhere."

**Sorry, kinda boring and long chapter. :-l "And that's why they call him Cliff-Hanger!"** **XD Please review! I know you read it and stuff, but it makes me happier if you review it too. It also makes you feel fuzzy inside! *hugs self warmly***


	21. Chapter 19: RiverClan

**Ugh...stupid writer's block. *Hits forehead* Why must you hit me like a truck Every time?**

**Enjoy! Sorry for such a slow update.**

**Chapter 19**

_**RiverClan**_

_ Tinypaw froze, bristling as the strange cats' threat _reached her ears. She looked ahead over Softfur's white shoulder, and into the eyes of the black and white tom.

He had a black collar around his neck, the mark of a kittypet, but it had small, cone-shaped spikes lined around the sides. He had leering amber eyes that shone like fire, and his companion, a white tom, was hissing and spitting at the Clan cats.

Tinypaw looked down, into the Twoleg's yard, and saw with horror rising like bile in her throat that three more cats: a dark brown tom, a black she-cat, and a large silver tom: were staring at them, preparing to spring. Tinypaw saw that the new cats were narrowly outnumbered; seven Clan cats against five.

Tinypaw glanced in front of Softfur, where Skullpaw was hissing bravely at the two toms on the wall. Tinypaw felt determined; she wouldn't back down. Not without a fight.

Thunderbreeze, the second closest to the cats, was stating flatly, "We are going somewhere; past you!" with that, he leaped on the black and white tom, and both toms tumbled toward the ground, writhing and spitting as they fought. The other cats took this as a signal that the battle began, and suddenly Tinypaw was on the ground, fighting the black she-cat.

Tinypaw clawed at the she-cat's ears, who hissed and swiped her claws down Tinypaw's face; Tinypaw recoiled, and the black she-cat leaped on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

Tinypaw squirmed, trapped under the she-cat's gaze; she had a malicious sparkle in her yellow eyes as she leaned down to bite Tinypaw's neck. Hard.

Tinypaw felt her vision blurring, but suddenly the she-cat's jaws were ripped away as a white form came to Tinypaw's rescue. As her senses cleared, she saw with amazement that Skullpaw was fighting the she-cat furiously, sending blow after blow like there was no tomorrow. Tinypaw joined in, swiping her claws on the she-cat's eyes until she ran away back toward the front of the Twoleg nest.

Tinypaw turned to Skullpaw, who looked at her with exhausted eyes. "One down, four to go." He mewed, and Tinypaw nodded with determination. She looked around, and saw the lithe white tom sneaking away with scars on his pelt. Tinypaw leapt at him, and saw with satisfaction that there was fear in the tom's blue eyes as Tinypaw pummeled his stomach. He hissed one last time in fright and dashed away. Tinypaw suddenly was whacked on the side of her head by a dizzying punch, and she suddenly found her throat at the base of the black and white tom's paws.

"Stay away, Tinypaw. We know who you are, and we know what you know." The black tom whispered darkly in her ear; his sharp collar was scraping Tinypaw's face, and she choked for breath at his claws.

_I'm going to die! _Tinypaw thought as her breath escaped her. She felt the world around her going black, but then her captor suddenly jumped off of her, running away into the distance. Only the silver tom remained, but then he too, raced away; but it was toward ThunderClan territory.

"He's getting away!" Tinypaw's hearing was muffled, and she saw the shapes of her friends leap after the tom in hot pursuit.

_They know...who I am? _was her last thought before she blacked out.

When Tinypaw awoke, she was surrounded by murmuring ShadowClan cats that looked at her with dismay.

"A RiverClan cat getting hurt on our watch? This won't pass well with Blazestar..."

"Stupid rogues! How dare they attack ShadowClan on its own territory!"

"Fools. Blazestar won't be alarmed. Those rogues attacked everyone, and he's a good cat; he knows that ShadowClan has hit some rough spots..."

Tinypaw sat up, but immediately flinched as a throbbing pain entered the side of her head; she almost passed out again, but a soft silver tail brushing her flank calmed her slightly. She turned her head, slowly so as not to disturb the throbbing again, and saw the silver form of Dewheart, the ShadowClan medicine cat, staring at her with a warm expression.

"Take it slow," Dewheart mewed carefully to her, dripping water into Tinypaw's mouth from a patch of moss held in her jaws. "That was a nasty blow to your head and neck."

"How long have I been out?" Tinypaw asked.

"Since sun high."

Tinypaw looked to the west, where the pink rays of the sunset were already fading away to be replaced by StarClan warriors twinkling in the sky. She groaned; she was hardly helping with ShadowClan at all!

"Dewfrost? Can I, um..." Tinypaw lashed her tail.

"Yes?" Dewfrost inquired slowly.

"Can I...help with one of the patrols?"

Dewfrost gave her a look. Tinypaw sighed. "I know I'm a little injured, but I feel so useless. You should save your herbs for someone who really needs them."

Dewfrost looked her up and down, then purred. "Of course, Tinypaw. Go ahead." Tinypaw's tail shot up in delight, and she immediately trotted over to where Skullpaw was joining a hunting patrol in the deeper parts of ShadowClan territory.

"Hey," Tinypaw mewed as she approached them. Blackpaw, who was sitting nearby, lashed her tail and slit her eyes.

Skullpaw didn't meet her gaze. "Hey."

There was an awkward silence. "I...came to help hunt w-with you." Tinypaw stammered, feeling her ears turn hot.

Behind Blackpaw, Tinypaw saw Crowmoon pad towards the apprentices, a look of forced cheer on his features; Tinypaw could tell that he was still mourning for the loss of his father.

"All right. Treetail!" Crowmoon called over the RiverClan warrior from where she was standing by the queens. Once she trotted over, Crowmoon began. "Okay. We'll split up once we reach the hunting grounds. Let's go." Crowmoon's voice sounded lifeless, despite the cheer on his face. Tinypaw padded warily back into the forest, flinching as she once again saw the scorched trees and dead bracken. Skullpaw brushed past her, taking the lead behind Crowmoon. For a moment their pelts brushed, and both cats awkwardly let space grow between them.

Once the forest started to look green again, night had fallen and the stars of Silverpelt glimmered above them. Tinypaw's eyes weren't used to the darkness that fell upon them, and she vaguely wondered how she would hunt. ShadowClan cats were trained to hunt and fight in utter darkness, with nothing but the shadows for company.

The group split up, Blackpaw going with Crowmoon and Treetail going alone; it only left Skullpaw and Tinypaw.

Tinypaw pricked her ears and opened her mouth, a jumble of scents reaching her scent glands like a wave of fresh water. She slowly picked out the scent of mouse, and spotted it scurrying along in the undergrowth.

She dropped into a crouch, and started inching towards it. She felt silly, stalking prey like this, beneath the trees; she inched toward a shadow, and sat in it quietly, waiting for the mouse to come to her. It briefly crossed her path, and she lunged at it; the mouse gave a terrified squeak, however, and slipped from her grip into the bushes. Tinypaw landed hard on her chin, leaves drifting downwards around her from her leap. She shook one off of her nose and gave a frustrated sigh, sitting up again and massaging her chin with her paw.

"No luck?" Skullpaw's voice made her jump, and Tinypaw turned to see him emerge out of the shadows where the mouse disappeared, carrying Tinypaw's failed catch in his jaws. Tinypaw sighed again, her ears and whiskers drooping.

"No." Tinypaw sighed. "I-I'm only used to hunting fish and water voles, not rough mice and birds. I can't even see!"

Skullpaw laid down the prey, padding over to sit beside her. He laid his tail-tip gently on her shoulder in reassurance. "Do you want me to teach you?"

Tinypaw blinked at him. "You would do that?"

Skullpaw nodded. "Sure. I-I mean..." Skullpaw trailed off. "It...wouldn't be much use if you didn't know how to hunt in the undergrowth, if your going to help ShadowClan recover." Tinypaw bumped into his side playfully.

"All right. I accept your challenge." Tinypaw teased. Skullpaw laughed, and quickly located another mouse for her to capture.

"Now, the trick," Skullpaw whispered, "is to crouch down low enough and to pad quietly towards it; light paw steps can't be heard." Tinypaw nodded and copied the crouch he just went into. Skullpaw adjusted her, and Tinypaw began to quietly pace towards the prey, her paw steps light as falling leaves.

"And when your close enough," Skullpaw whispered, "Prepare to pounce!"

Tinypaw was mere whisker-lengths away from the mouse, and with a shake of her hindquarters she leaped at the mouse, silencing its cries as she bit it hard on the neck.

"Brilliant!" Skullpaw exclaimed, his yellow eyes reflected by the crescent moon. "You caught it like a true ShadowClan cat!" He purred, and Tinypaw's eyes flashed with warmth. Skullpaw picked up his mouse, and together the two set off for the ShadowClan camp.

As they padded through the moonlit forest, Tinypaw saw tiny lights glowing in the air and bushes around her, and she stopped to look at them curiously.

"Skullpaw," Tinypaw breathed, "what is this?"

Skullpaw purred, coming up beside her. "Those are fireflies. They're another sign that green-leaf's on the way." Tinypaw sneezed, and all of the little lights scattered and flew around in the air, illuminating their faces. Tinypaw looked at Skullpaw, who's eyes were shining as the fireflies danced around his face. They looked at each other, Tinypaw watching as the light played on his fur, and saw that his eyes were alight with something she had never seen before...only from...her mother...

As they stared, the fireflies began to fade around them, and soon the enchanting light they cast on the cats was nothing but a sweet memory; both of their faces were suddenly plunged back into darkness, and Tinypaw blinked.

After a moment of silence, Skullpaw murmured, "We should probably head back now; it's almost moonhigh." Tinypaw nodded.

They started to pad back, when Tinypaw stopped him. "Wait." she mewed. Skullpaw turned around. "I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" Skullpaw mewed.

"For...saving me from that cat back at the Twoleg nest."

"Oh." Skullpaw's eyes were trained toward the ground. "I-It was nothing." Skullpaw was about to turn away, when Tinypaw stopped him again.

"No, it wasn't. That cat could've...could've..." Tinypaw trailed off. She gulped, then mewed, her voice stronger, "You didn't have to save me, you know."

Skullpaw paused. Then, he meowed quietly, "I know. But I-" Skullpaw's voice faltered. He shook his head. "Let's just...get back to camp."

Tinypaw didn't stop him as he turned and trotted away, Tinypaw waiting a moment before following soon after.

Once the two had left, a shadowed form emerged from behind a tree, green eyes glowering as he stared after the spot where the apprentices disappeared. He flicked his tail, growled, and headed toward the Twoleg nest, the stars sparkling coldly above the still night.

**Please review! Please? **


	22. Chapter 20: ShadowClan

**20 chapters! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors**

**Chapter 20**

_**ShadowClan**_

_ Skullpaw sighed as he watched the RiverClan patrol leave_. It was dawn, and all of the ShadowClan cats had just begun to stir. In the east, the sun was spreading its pink light upon the scorched forest of ShadowClan, turning it a blood red. The lake was reflecting it, a shiny, smooth surface of water that looked solid enough to stand on.

Skullpaw felt the wind of the lake buffeting his fur, and when he opened his eyes he was surprised to detect the scent of Blackpaw coming towards him.

"Good morning." Skullpaw mewed cheerily, "The view is beautiful isn't it?"

"Yes," Blackpaw growled. She sat beside him, eyes slit towards the rising sun and her tail flicking back and forth in agitation.

"Did you have a good night?" Blackpaw spat suddenly, and with a sinking heart Skullpaw remembered. After their patrol, they were supposed to go and hunt for bracken and prey together, but being with Tinypaw he had completely forgotten.

"Blackpaw, I-" Skullpaw began. Blackpaw flicked her tail at him in dismissal, eyes brimming with hurt as she looked away.

"It's fine," she lied swiftly. She stood, and headed back toward where Deathpaw was sharing tongues with Leopardclaw.

Skullpaw watched her go, and sighed bitterly. What was he doing? He knew his mission was to befriend the cats from the other Clans, not _fall in love _with them. But then Skullpaw remembered the fireflies, the way they lit up Tinypaw's smiling face and her dazzling blue eyes that were like pools of water...

Skullpaw blinked and shook his head. This is what he was talking about; he couldn't fall in love _and _stay loyal to his mission.

Skullpaw stood, and padded over to where Duskstar was resting near Softfur.

"Duskstar?" Skullpaw mewed meekly. Duskstar turned and trained his indigo gaze on Skullpaw.

"Can I go hunting?" Skullpaw waited for him to say no, but to his surprise he dipped his head and flashed his eyes.

"Very well. Take Blackpaw with you." Skullpaw resisted to flinch; that was the _last_ cat he wanted to hunt with. Instead, he shrugged and padded over to Blackpaw. At least he could say that it was Duskstar's orders if she argued.

"Hey," he mewed curtly to his brother, who was now sharing tongues with Blackpaw; Leopardclaw snorted, muttered something about, "Toms." and left to check on Graydawn.

Blackpaw turned to him, the same annoyingly blank expression on her face. "What do you want?" she meowed bitterly. Skullpaw tried to swallow the lump growing in his throat.

"Do you want to hunt with me..." _now? _Skullpaw finished the sentence in his head.

Blackpaw exchanged an eye-roll with Deathpaw, then turned back to Skullpaw with a muttered, "I s'pose so." Skullpaw brightened slightly, and followed Blackpaw as she swiftly trotted away into the forest.

As soon as they were in the trees, Skullpaw caught up with her. "Why don't we hunt over by RiverClan's border?" Blackpaw hissed under her breath at his suggestion, and Skullpaw realized what he had just said.

"Oh. Sorry." He apologized. They padded on in silence. "Well, how about the ThunderClan border, then? I'm sure it's much greener now." Blackpaw nodded briskly, and trotted toward the Twolegpath.

Skullpaw followed her, slowing as he reached the spot where Tinypaw had discovered the fireflies. He sighed inwardly at the memory, then continued on with a drooping tail. How was he going to regain Blackpaw's trust again?

Up ahead, he saw Blackpaw stop. When he padded to her side, he saw that she was staring at a piece of blackened wood still damp from the Twolegs' long green snakes.

"What's this?" Blackpaw inquired. She turned it over with her paw, and Skullpaw saw a colorful label-thing that looked very much like Twoleg property.

"Looks like some Twoleg thing." Skullpaw announced. Blackpaw gave him a puzzled expression.

What would it be doing here, though?" Blackpaw asked herself.

Skullpaw answered, "We're pretty close to the Greenleaf TwolegPlace; maybe it rolled down here?" Blackpaw shrugged.

"Maybe we should take it back to camp." Skullpaw nodded at Blackpaw's suggestion, and together the two rolled it back down to the lakeshore.

* * *

Duskstar sniffed the piece of wood suspiciously. "And you found this close to the Greenleaf TwolegPlace?" He inquired. Skullpaw nodded.

After a moment, Duskstar's eyes widened. He signaled for Softfur to sniff it, and they looked to each other with uncertainty.

"What is it?" Blackpaw blurted as the silence continued.

"Well..." Softfur paused. "...It seems as if a rogue scent is on it."

Skullpaw's blood ran cold. Could it be...? No, he wouldn't have...would he...?

"May I...?" Skullpaw mewed quietly to Duskstar. Surprised, Duskstra let him take a sniff at the wood. At first, Skullpaw only smelled fire and water, but then he detected an underlying scent...

Skullpaw backed away from the wood as if it had suddenly sprouted wings. "I-I smell it, too." Skullpaw stammered. He asked to be dismissed, and he began a quick trot back into the woods.

* * *

"Why did you do it?" Skullpaw demanded underneath the half-bridge. Napoleon just studied something stuck in his pad, nonchalantly giving it a lick.

"Do what?" Napoleon mewed smoothly.

Skullpaw slit his eyes. "You know what you did."

Napoleon yawned and flicked his tail-tip. "Please. Do tell."

Skullpaw took a ragged breath. "This morning, Blackpaw and I found a piece of Twoleg firewood, drenched in water, with _your scent on it._" Napoleon laughed, a dark rasp that made Skullpaw's skin crawl under his pelt.

"So," Napoleon mewed, "You figured it out. Well done, my apprentice."

Skullpaw looked at him with disbelief. "You...started the fire?"

"Please," Napoleon scoffed, "It was only to help you with your ambition."

"How?" Skullpaw demanded. "That fire could've killed me!"

Napoleon smiled with closed eyes and shook his head; he uttered another dark chuckle. "Oh, Skullpaw. Haven't you noticed; you're a hero, throughout RiverClan, ThunderClan, _and _ShadowClan, because you saved that kit. You're popular now; Duskstar is impressed with your work in the fire, in the investigation of Rabbitsteps, and with your determination to help your Clan be strong again. Don't you see, Skullpaw? I'm only helping you achieve your goal."

Skullpaw blinked. "How did you...?"

"I have my ways." Napoleon cut him off. "Now. I've seen-heard-that you have befriended the RiverClan apprentice Tinypaw? Excellent."

At the mention of Tinypaw's name, Skullpaw turned red with shame and embarrassment. "Yeah. Right." he mumbled.

"And," Napoleon continued, "You've also befriended the ThunderClan she-cat Moonpaw and tom Seedpaw."

"I-I also gave up on Hawkpaw- Hawkstrike -of my Clan." Skullpaw's throat had gone dry. How could Napoleon still think of his mission after almost killing his entire Clan?

"It's all right." Napoleon laid his tail on Skullpaw's shoulder. Skullpaw looked into his sympathetic green gaze, and suddenly wondered if it was true or not.

"You've grown quite close to this...this Blackpaw, correct?" Napoleon pressed. Skullpaw nodded, looking away.

"So; just earn her trust, and then all I have to worry about is WindClan." Skullpaw pricked his ears; Napoleon had said 'I' not 'we'. Was he planning something, other than Skullpaw's ambitious dream?

"Come back to me after one moon has passed," Napoleon announced. He removed his tail from Skullpaw's shoulder. "and tell me everything."

* * *

When Skullpaw returned to camp, he had made sure he had caught a couple pieces of prey so he had the excuse of going hunting for his disappearance. He had caught a plump wren, and decided to take it to Blackpaw as an apology.

As he carried it in his jaws toward her, he stopped when he saw her laughing with Deathpaw.

Skullpaw saw something in her eyes; yes, interest had replaced her hurt, sad gaze that Skullpaw had caused. Deathpaw held something in his yellow gaze as well; cold triumph.

Blackpaw ceased her laughter as she noticed Skullpaw. She gave him a cold look, then beckoned Deathpaw to follow her into the woods. Skullpaw watched, the wren still in his mouth, and he felt a pang of hurt.

He dropped the wren, and headed back toward his makeshift nest, a dull ache in his heart.

**A little shorter than usual, but please review! I love to hear your opinions.**


	23. Chapter 21: WindClan

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**Here's another chapter! Story's almost done ( :( ) but I will DEFINITELY be writing another one as a sequel.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**Chapter 21**

_**WindClan **_

_ Riverpaw steadily rose to her paws, wounds _no longer stinging. She looked around, and realized that her surroundings were swirling into shapes and forms, and she gasped as she saw StarClan's hunting grounds once more before her; she tensed and looked at her paws, but saw with a sigh of relief that they were solid and firm, not wispy and transparent as they had been on her first visit to StarClan.

"Onestar?" Riverpaw called, and many StarClan cats turned her way. They meowed cheerful greetings, and Riverpaw gasped with joy as she saw a familiar golden pelt.

"Lionflower!" Riverpaw exclaimed, and ran up to the she-cat to bury her face in her fur. Lionflower purred, and as Riverpaw pushed away, she realized that Lionflower's wounds were gone, and that she looked moons younger and healthier.

"It's good to see you again, Riverpaw," Lionflower mewed. She blinked her stunning amber eyes. "How is my nephew, Finchpaw? And Silverpaw, is he alright in his training without me?"

"Finchpaw..." Riverpaw's fur burned. "is fine. He misses you, but has become strong again and more determined. Silverpaw got into a bad fight with Briarpaw at your vigil; they still aren't speaking to each other."

Lionflower sighed. "That doesn't sound good. It'll clear up, though. Fights between friends and loved ones never last forever." That comment made Riverpaw feel comforted.

"Who is Silverpaw's mentor, now that I'm gone?" Lionflower didn't flinch as she mentioned her death; it seemed that she had accepted it a long time ago, even if she had only been gone for a quarter moon.

"Eaglefeather," Riverpaw replied.

Lionflower nodded in approval. "He will teach Silverpaw well; I have no doubt about that." They were silent for a while, the lightest breeze stirring the fur along their backs.

"Where's Onestar?" Riverpaw asked finally.

Lionflower tipped her head to the side. "How do you know...?"

Riverpaw suddenly felt very sheepish. "Oh. Um...I've kinda...been here before." Riverpaw mewed vaguely. Lionflower still looked puzzled, but didn't question further.

"Riverpaw. I see you've reconnected with your old Clanmate." Riverpaw turned around to see a brown tabby tom padding towards them.

Riverpaw dipped her head in greeting to the leader. "Onestar."

"Long time, no see." Onestar looked thoughtful. "I'm glad that you didn't join our ranks so early before; it seems you still must fulfill your destiny."

Lionflower, seeing she was no longer a part of the conversation, dipped her head to Riverpaw. "I'll be leaving you two, then." Riverpaw touched noses with her in farewell, and Lionflower bounded over the hills, as healthy as an apprentice and faster than a rabbit.

Once she was gone, Riverpaw turned back to Onestar. "You mentioned a destiny before, and just now. What exactly...am I a part of?"

Onestar sighed, suddenly looking moons older. "I can't say."

"Please?" Riverpaw coaxed. Onestar's yellow eyes flashed with amusement.

"All right...there is a...prophecy. Involving..." Onestar trailed off.

"What's the prophecy?" Riverpaw asked quietly.

"_Before the Moon, blue feathers will fall, and the Dusk will be avenged. A tiny wing shall fall before the paws of Death, and a bleached skull shall unite with the river to overcome the great evil that rises with the every tide." _Riverpaw blinked rapidly, as if getting water out of her eyes.

"W-What does that mean? And how..." Riverpaw trailed off as StarClan and Onestar began swirling into one mass, and she felt herself awakening.

"Nooo! Onestar, wait!" Riverpaw cried, and she slammed into her nest again, blinking open her eyes inside the brightening apprentices' den.

* * *

All through that day, Riverpaw couldn't get the prophecy out of her mind. _A tiny wing shall fall at the paws of Death...A bleached skull shall unite with the river to overcome the great evil...blue feathers will fall, and the Dusk will be avenged._ What does it mean? Riverpaw wanted to wail.

When she missed her second rabbit on a hunting patrol, she sighed in frustration and sat on a large rock at the lakeshore.

"I can't do this," Riverpaw muttered to herself, feeling a sob rising in her throat. She looked at her reflection; a gray-silver face stared back up at her, yellow eyes troubled and defeated. Riverpaw swiped her paw at the reflection, scattering drops of water along the shore and on her paws.

A scent drifted toward her, and it took Riverpaw a second to register who's it was. It was one she hadn't smelt in almost a moon..._Creekpaw!_

Riverpaw widened her eyes. She started to follow the trail, and soon was bounding along the moor, heart thumping and tail streaming behind her.

She skidded to a stop as she reached the ThunderClan border stream, and realized that the scent wandered over the border. Riverpaw stopped, thinking. She decided to go down to the lakeshore and travel that way, and find the scent within.

She bounded down to the lakeshore, where she traveled carefully three tail-lengths from the water. She traced the scent, which traveled back onto the lakeshore, and followed it until she heard voices up ahead.

Peering from behind a tree, Riverpaw's eyes widened as she saw the whole of ShadowClan spread out on the lakeshore, their pine forest behind them; Riverpaw stared at the forest, seeing it was scorched and burned almost beyond repair. She also scented faint RiverClan mingled, and saw with surprise the RiverClan deputy, some apprentices, and a bunch of warriors helping out with the damage, speaking in friendly tones to ShadowClan as if they were old friends.

"WindClan scent, here? Are you sure, Pebblepaw?" Riverpaw jumped, and turned around to see the black she-cat from the border standing behind her, with the gray tabby tom beside her.

"What are you doing here?" the tom sounded confused, not hostile.

"I was..." Riverpaw faltered. She couldn't exactly say that she had followed Creekpaw's scent here...

"Never mind." the black she-cat shook her head. She looked at Riverpaw's dumbstruck face and sighed. "Devastating sight, huh? There was a huge fire here, and now ShadowClan is in need. ThunderClan and RiverClan are helping them." Riverpaw blinked in understanding.

"I see." She mewed quietly. "I'm Riverpaw, by the way. I was at the border, when Gorsepaw..." she didn't need to say anymore, for the two ThunderClan cats sighed tiredly.

"I'm Moonpaw," the black she-cat mewed; Riverpaw thought she didn't sound hostile. "And this," she flicked her tail to the gray tabby tom, "is Pebblepaw."

"Nice to meet you," Riverpaw meowed politely, not wanting to act suspicious.

"Moonpaw, Pebblepaw, who're you talking to?" another lithe black tom emerged from the underbrush, and Riverpaw widened her eyes in dismay as he immediately bristled and hissed at the sight of Riverpaw.

"Don't worry, Sootpaw, she's alright." Moonpaw soothed the tom, and he tentatively lowered his fur.

The black tom, Sootpaw, slit his eyes at her. "Hey...aren't you that she-cat that got run down by that horse?" Riverpaw tensed.

"Sootpaw," Moonpaw scolded, and rolled her eyes, "you obviously know she is, and it must have been very traumatizing for her." Riverpaw was grateful that Moonpaw came to her defense so quickly. Her back ached slightly as she recalled the horse incident that almost cost her her life.

"Anyways," Pebblepaw interrupted, "we should keep going to ShadowClan; Greenmoss left for there ages ago while we were training..."

"You want to come along?" Moonpaw asked Riverpaw suddenly. Riverpaw blinked, and saw that it was a little past sun high. If she helped out for a little while, no one would miss her in WindClan; they'd just think she was out hunting still...

"All right." Riverpaw agreed. Maybe if she helped out, she could get her own Clan to help ShadowClan, too.

"Great!" Moonpaw exclaimed, and together the four apprentice headed for ShadowClan's shore.

* * *

"Riverpaw!" Tinypaw exclaimed as Riverpaw entered the makeshift camp. Riverpaw ran up to touch noses with her old friend, eyes shining.

"How are you? Are your legs...?" Tinypaw asked.

"Never better," Riverpaw mewed cheerily, answering both questions. She looked around. "When did this happen?"

"Around...seven days ago." Tinypaw answered. Riverpaw immediately felt guilty. This enormous fire occurred, destroying most of ShadowClan's territory, and WindClan had been completely oblivious to it all while RiverClan and ThunderClan had been helping them from the first night!

Her guilt must have played on her face, because Tinypaw's eyes were full of reassurance. "Don't worry about it. WindClan isn't even near here, so you couldn't have known." Riverpaw felt slightly comforted.

Riverpaw opened her mouth to say something, but a deep, rumbling voice interrupted her. "WindClan?" Riverpaw looked over Tinypaw's shoulder and saw a large gray tom padding towards them. He must have been important, because Tinypaw immediately dipped her head to him.

"Duskstar, this is Riverpaw, my friend from WindClan." Tinypaw mewed, and Riverpaw realized that this must be the ShadowClan leader. She dipped her head as well, and Duskstar sniffed.

"Y-Yes, sir." Riverpaw stammered, intimidated.

Duskstar purred, a deep rumble at the back of his throat. "I see. Has WindClan finally come to help?"

"N-No, sir," Riverpaw stuttered, "I-It's only me. A-And I came on my own."

Duskstar slit his eyes. "Well, can you bring back a message to Tawnystar about ShadowClan's state?" Riverpaw didn't dare refuse, and Duskstar nodded and padded away towards a longhaired white she-cat.

"Gee," Riverpaw breathed, "he sure is scary!"

Tinypaw laughed. "That was my first impression, too. When you get to know him, he's actually quite nice." Two white toms and a black she-cat approached them, and Riverpaw watched Tinypaw turn scarlet.

"Hello, Tinypaw," one white tom mewed, while the other looked away.

"Hello, Deathpaw." Tinypaw mumbled. Riverpaw pricked her ears. _Deathpaw? Tiny wing at the paws of Death...could he be...?_

"Who're you?" the black she-cat asked Riverpaw.

"I'm Riverpaw," Mewed Riverpaw, "and I could ask you the same thing."

The black she-cat nodded. "I'm Blackpaw. This is Deathpaw," she flicked her tail at the tom to her right, who was standing rather close to her, "and this is his twin, Skullpaw." she flicked her tail to the other white tom, who was standing farther from her at her left. Riverpaw saw that Skullpaw and Tinypaw were avoiding each other's eyes, and Riverpaw tipped her head to the side.

"Hi," Skullpaw mewed, yellow eyes intent on the opposite direction. Deathpaw snorted softly, and Riverpaw wondered just what was so amusing.

"Well, now that you know the crew," Riverpaw turned around, and saw Moonpaw joining them with Pebblepaw and Sootpaw. Moonpaw continued, "you can help out. Why don't you hunt with me and Skullpaw?"

"Okay." Riverpaw mewed. She looked to her new friends, who were staring at her with welcoming gazes.

_Why do the Clans have to feud, when, as apprentices, we can be the best of friends?_ Riverpaw thought. She shrugged and followed Moonpaw and Skullpaw as they headed into the scorched woods.

**Please review! Hope you liked that this was longer!**


	24. Chapter 22: ThunderClan

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors.**

**The countdown to the end is nearer; two more chapters!**

**Chapter 22**

_**ThunderClan**_

_ Moonpaw watched as Riverpaw said her temporary _goodbyes to the other Clans and went back to her camp to tell Tawnystar about ShadowClan. As soon as Riverpaw was out of sight, Fuzzypaw walked up to her, a spring in his step.

"Isn't this great? Now all of the Clans will be working together!" Fuzzypaw danced around in a circle. "Now ShadowClan will be stronger than ever!"

"That's great," Moonpaw agreed sincerely; and she meant it, too. She was genuinely glad that ShadowClan was recovering; it seemed so strange having them looking and acting so defeated, when their pride was gone and they were asking for help. She hoped that ShadowClan would soon return to its wily and proud self again after this whole thing was over.

Moonpaw spotted Duskstar atop a large rock, and she heard him yowl, "Let the cats of the Clans gather beneath me for a meeting." Every cat started gathering below him, Moonpaw taking a place beside Tinypaw.

As soon as everyone was settled, Duskstar began, "ShadowClan is now strong enough to move to our camp once more." All cats yowled their approval and congratulations, and Tinypaw seemed to yowl the loudest of all. Sootpaw, sitting beside Moonpaw, exchanged a glance with her, eyes bright and alive.

As soon as Duskstar had silenced them again, he spoke. "We will go in patrols. All of the apprentices shall travel together, half of the warriors and Graydawn will go together, and the deputies, myself, and the other half of the warriors will go last. Crowmoon, Smokecloud, Crookedripple, Lightfeather, Cindershadow, Bearstripe, and Pondripple will travel with Graydawn; the rest of the warriors will go with me and the deputies. Apprentices," Duskstar looked down to where Skullpaw, Deathpaw, Blackpaw, Fuzzypaw, Tinypaw, Moonpaw, Sootpaw, and Pebblepaw were sitting in a half circle at the base of the rock. "you all will travel together; you are old enough now to go on your own. Dewheart shall travel with the queens as well." Duskstar hopped off of the rock, and the meeting adjourned.

All of the cats broke up into their groups, the ThunderClan and RiverClan cats traveling together in a tight patrol.

"We get to travel together!" Tinypaw mewed excitedly, "And at least we're good friends, too."

"Yeah," Pebblepaw agreed. He looked behind him, toward the WindClan border. "I hope Riverpaw gets here with her patrol before we leave."

Duskstar yowled, and the cats took that as a signal that the patrols were to leave. The apprentices were second-to-last, and Moonpaw watched as the first patrol, consisting of the warriors and Graydawn, set off towards the camp.

"We won't be leaving for a while," Tinypaw mewed, "so Riverpaw might make it before it's our turn to go to camp." All of the cats agreed, but Skullpaw didn't utter a word.

Moonpaw looked to him; his eyes were troubled, and he was staring toward RiverClan territory with unease. "Are you all right?" Moonpaw asked him.

Skullpaw jumped, as if he was awakened out of deep thought. "Yes, I'm fine," he mewed quietly, although he sounded hurt and confused. Moonpaw, looking worried, questioned him no further because Blackpaw hissed suddenly at Skullpaw.

"What're you staring over there for? Your _girlfriend _is already here!" She spat, and Tinypaw looked at Blackpaw, surprised. Skullpaw whirled on her, snarling.

"She's not...We're not..." Skullpaw growled, and stormed off. Moonpaw detected pain and sorrow rolling off of him in waves, and she wondered why Blackpaw had snapped at him; she had been his admirer only a day ago, hadn't she?

Tinypaw blinked, shocked. "W-What're...What're you..."

Blackpaw hissed under her breath. "Tinypaw, come with me. We need to talk." Blackpaw pulled Tinypaw aside, and Moonpaw strained her ears to listen to what they were saying. She could detect Tinypaw's shocked meow, and Blackpaw's ferocious hiss, followed by Tinypaw running off into the woods. Blackpaw didn't return to the group, but went to go sit alone.

"What was that all about?" Sootpaw mewed, bewildered.

Deathpaw snorted. "Skullpaw deprived, I guess. Blackpaw's been...distant from him lately, ever since Tinypaw, him, and Blackpaw went on that patrol together..."

The group was silent for a moment.

The patrols dwindled as more cats went to the ShadowClan camp, and soon only the apprentices and the last patrol were left. A call from a familiar, chirping voice alerted Moonpaw, and she turned around to see Riverpaw racing forward with a patrol of a large white tom, a dark ginger she-cat, a gray tabby tom, and a smaller gray tabby tom following behind her.

"Great!" Moonpaw exclaimed as she ran to touch noses with her friend. "Glad that you got to come after all!"

"Well," Riverpaw stammered, shuffling her paws, "I kind of got in trouble with Tawnystar for disappearing, but when I told him where I was and what happened, he agreed to not punish me and to send a patrol over right away to help." Riverpaw looked around. "Where's ShadowClan?"

"At their camp," Duskstar padded up to them, and Riverpaw dipped her head respectively. The dark ginger she-cat stepped forward and greeted the leader.

"Greetings, Duskstar," She mewed, "We came to help ShadowClan."

"Greetings, Flamecloud," Duskstar replied, "we are grateful for your help. ShadowClan has just left for our camp, now that it is almost restored. We still need some help, but I'm sure with green-leaf on the way our forest will grow back healthy and alive."

Flamecloud dipped her head. "That's great news." Both cats kept their voices level and calm, not betraying any emotion besides reassurance.

"Well," Duskstar mewed, "the apprentices are about to leave; Riverpaw, would you like to join them?"

Riverpaw was taken aback. "O-Of course. They are my friends." She looked warmly at them, and Moonpaw noticed the large white tom and the smaller tabby tom heading toward them.

"Stonestream said we could go with you guys, too." the gray tabby mewed. Riverpaw turned slightly red as his tail brushed her shoulder.

"Finchpaw," Moonpaw recognized the gray tabby now that he was closer. "Good to see you again."

Finchpaw looked at her, remembering. "Hey, yeah. You're that she-cat Moonpaw. And Deathpaw! Good to see you too!"

"I'm Silverpaw," the white tom mewed quietly. He had silver and black stripes running down his back, and a forlorn expression on his features.

"I think it's time to go," Moonpaw announced as Duskstar signaled to her to leave, "let's go." everyone nodded. While Fuzzypaw, Deathpaw, Riverpaw, Silverpaw, and Finchpaw headed out, Moonpaw stayed behind to gather Skullpaw, Blackpaw and Tinypaw.

She approached Skullpaw first; he was sitting at the edge of the lake, sorrow in his features. "Hey," she mewed quietly. Skullpaw didn't answer, just kept staring out onto the lake, a vacant expression on his face.

"We're leaving, you know," Moonpaw mewed gently. Skullpaw didn't respond.

Moonpaw sighed. "I don't know what's up between you, Blackpaw, and Tiny-" she cut short as Skullpaw let out a whimper at the mention of Tinypaw.

Moonpaw laid her tail-tip on his shoulder, and Skullpaw looked at her with such sorrow-filled eyes that Moonpaw had to keep her heart from breaking.

"I just...don't know what to do," Skullpaw muttered despairingly, "The fire, Tinypaw, Blackpaw...it just...I can't do this."

Moonpaw pressed her pelt against his in reassurance; she had never seen him break down like this before. "It's all right. Everyone has...those moments of weakness. It'll clear up. You're surrounded by close friends, and every one of them cares about you."

"Not Blackpaw," Skullpaw mewed bitterly.

"She just...needs time. She'll warm up to you again." Moonpaw and Skullpaw sat in silence for a while, and Moonpaw felt Skullpaw growing stronger and more confident.

He turned to her. "Thank you, Moonpaw. You're a good friend." Moonpaw felt warmed as his yellow gaze hardened and filled with confidence.

"You're welcome." Moonpaw meowed sincerely.

* * *

As Moonpaw entered the ShadowClan camp, she was in higher spirits. They sunk, however, when she saw what was there.

A huge, scorched tree sat in the center of camp, blocking entry to the other side of the camp. It looked like the warriors had cleared away the branches to form an entrance at the left side, and had also made a gaping hole through the tree as well. Moonpaw padded through it, and saw that inside the tree was hollow, scorched, and dead. She passed through to the other side, where the nursery, elder's, and apprentices' dens were being rebuilt out of the torn-away tree branches. RiverClan and the half of ShadowClan that was going with Graydawn were rebuilding and enforcing the nursery and elder's den, while some others were completing the apprentices' den, putting one of the last of the branches around the entrance and back.

"Moonpaw!" Crowmoon called to her from the nursery, and she padded over to him.

"ThunderClan is working on the leader's den, medicine den, and warriors' den on the other side." Crowmoon gasped, heaving a heavy branch at the entrance to the nursery.

Moonpaw nodded, and headed through the tree and back toward her own Clan. Greenmoss was explaining to the WindClan patrol about what happened and what their task would be.

Moonpaw caught sight of Skullpaw and Deathpaw heading over through the tree, and waved a quick greeting with her tail before disappearing inside the medicine den.

Dewheart was there with Fuzzypaw, organizing what was left of her herbs. Moonpaw detected the herbs that ThunderClan, RiverClan, and WindClan had brought them, and felt warmed when she saw a huge pile of them in the corner. Fuzzypaw was at the base of it, sorting through them and handing them to Dewheart.

"Hey, Fuzzypaw," Moonpaw mewed. She eyed the pile. "Can I help you?"

Fuzzypaw looked at her, breathless. "Sure. You can sort the leaves into certain piles, like burdock in one and yarrow in the other and stuff." Moonpaw had no clue which leaves were burdock and which were yarrow, but she got the concept.

As she sat down and started sorting, Fuzzypaw sighed in a defeated way. Moonpaw looked to him. "What?" she asked cautiously.

Fuzzypaw continued sorting. "It's just that...I've always wanted to be a medicine cat." Moonpaw looked at him, surprised; wasn't he training as a warrior, though?

"I know what you're thinking," Fuzzypaw continued, "The son of the great leader Duskstar, becoming a medicine cat? Tch. My father would never speak to me again."

Moonpaw looked at him, bewildered. "Why?"

Fuzzypaw stopped to look at her. "He's always had this dream of his sons being great and strong fighters and all, who will lead ShadowClan one day. If I tell him I want to be a medicine cat, he won't approve and...and..." Fuzzypaw trailed off, but Moonpaw had heard enough.

There was silence for a while, as the two continued putting the herbs into individual piles. "I've never...told anyone that before. Except maybe Dewheart." Fuzzypaw mewed suddenly, ears swiveling in agitation.

Moonpaw's gaze was sympathetic. "You should tell him." Fuzzypaw looked at her, hopeful.

"Y-You really think so?" Fuzzypaw asked. Moonpaw nodded. Fuzzypaw sat back on his haunches, dumbfounded.

"But, what if he says no?"

"If he does, tell him what you told me." Moonpaw mewed simply. Fuzzypaw sat, blinked, and Moonpaw saw the ghost of a smile on his lips.

"I never really thought about it before," Fuzzypaw mumbled, quietly amused with himself. He looked at Moonpaw again. "Thank you."

Flattered, Moonpaw looked away. "You're welcome."

While the two continued sorting, Dewheart sighed quietly behind them. Fuzzypaw was opening up.

** I kind of made Moonpaw the one who helped everybody...oh well! Please review!**


	25. Chapter 23: RiverClan

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors, however painful it is to admit.**

**One more chapter!**

**Chapter 23**

_**RiverClan**_

_ Tinypaw sat alone in the darkening forest, head drooping_. No one was coming to get her, and no one tried; except Moonpaw. Moonpaw had come, asking if she was okay, but Tinypaw shooed her away, wanting to be alone.

Blackpaw's word's stung like a thorn at the back of her mind: _"Stay away from Skullpaw. If you speak with him, if you hunt with him, if you even come a whisker-length toward me when I'm around him, I swear to StarClan that you will regret it."_ Tinypaw knew Blackpaw had fierce feelings for Skullpaw, but she had never expected something like this to happen.

Tinypaw remembered what had happened with the fireflies. She had definitely seen affection in his eyes when he gazed at her, but she didn't know if she felt the same.

When Tinypaw first saw Skullpaw speaking with the ginger tom under the half-bridge, she had been terrified that she would be discovered and punished by him for spying. When she saw him at the Gathering, even, she had been afraid to introduce herself or even be near him. But after the fire, when she had seen him so helpless and hurt, she started feeling differently. She remembered when Skullpaw was telling her about his rescue in the fire, and when Tinypaw had been speaking to him about her overprotective mother; Tinypaw had never told anyone about her mother before, but something about Skullpaw made her speak. Now...Tinypaw had mixed feelings for him; she knew she liked him, liked him a lot even, but to what end? They could never be together with Blackpaw's threat hanging over her head like a pestering fly.

Tinypaw opened her eyes. She was facing the lakeshore now, the blood red light of the sunset staining her fur scarlet. She watched as the sun sank below the horizon, and watched as the stars appeared one by one in Silverpelt.

After what felt like moons, Tinypaw stood, feeling determined. So what if Blackpaw threatened her? She was strong, and she knew what she wanted. If Blackpaw stood in her way, she wouldn't hesitate to bring her down; one way or another.

* * *

Tinypaw slowly padded to the ShadowClan camp, where the mingled scents of RiverClan, ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan reached her. Tinypaw entered the clearing, and saw with relief that the camp was fully restored, the ShadowClan cats saying their good nights to the other Clans. Tinypaw soon found her Clan near the medicine den, gathering up and about to head home.

"Tinypaw! Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you!" Tinypaw turned around and saw Moonpaw and Riverpaw bounding toward her, Skullpaw and Deathpaw following more slowly behind.

Moonpaw gazed at her, ice blue eyes alight. "Glad that you came back to us, Tinypaw." Tinypaw nodded to her, seeing reassurance and sincerity in Moonpaw's round gaze. Riverpaw touched noses with her.

"We're about to go back to WindClan. We've helped out as much as we could." Riverpaw mewed, and Tinypaw felt sorrow gnaw at her belly once again; now that ShadowClan was back to normal, _everything _would go back to normal. That meant border patrols, feuds, and hunting for her own Clan. Tinypaw sighed. She was going to miss her friends.

"Hey, this isn't forever, you know," Riverpaw assured her with a wink, "We can still see each other at Gatherings and patrols and stuff."

"Yeah." Tinypaw agreed, although she still felt downcast. Skullpaw and Deathpaw approached, looking tired but successful.

"Goodbye, Riverpaw," Deathpaw mewed, touching noses with her; Skullpaw did the same. "we're going to miss you."

"Mousebrains," Riverpaw purred, "You've only known me for a day." Everyone laughed. As soon as the WindClan patrol had left, ThunderClan soon followed, until only RiverClan remained.

Everything was quiet, and all of the warriors of her Clan were saying their last goodbyes to ShadowClan. Deathpaw went back to the newly-remade apprentices' den to get some rest, leaving Tinypaw and Skullpaw alone at the edge of the clearing.

"Well," Tinypaw mewed quietly, "I...I guess this is goodbye for now."

"Yeah." Skullpaw agreed, silently disappointed. "We can still see each other at Gatherings and such."

"Yep." Tinypaw felt awkward standing with him alone now; before Blackpaw, everything had been so simple.

Skullpaw, sensing her anxiety, licked her ear. "It'll be all right."

"I'll miss you." Tinypaw whispered.

Skullpaw suddenly rubbed his muzzle against hers, and Tinypaw closed her eyes, purring.

"It's time for you to go." Skullpaw mewed softly. Tinypaw opened her eyes, blinked once at him, and touched noses one last time.

* * *

When Tinypaw awoke the next morning, she was disappointed to learn that she was to go back to training and patrolling as usual.

Tinypaw padded out of the apprentices' den, stretching and yawning hugely. Behind her, Swallowpaw padded up to her and they exchanged greetings.

"Haven't seen you around here for a while, Tinypaw," Swallowpaw meowed. "Every cat's been wondering what's so exciting over there."

"ShadowClan needed help," Tinypaw mewed defensively, but laughed immediately after.

Once she had calmed down, Swallowpaw mewed, "Echopaw and I are going patrolling. Wanna come?" Tinypaw nodded, and followed Swallowpaw over to the entrance to camp. A patrol of Darkfoot, Loudheart, Blazestar, and Leaftail were waiting there, Echopaw pacing in front of them. Once he spotted Tinypaw, he bounded over to greet her.

"Tinypaw!" he mewed cheerily, and Tinypaw felt warmed by such a friendly greeting. "We missed having you around. Your mother's been 'Worried sick'!" Echopaw copied Leaftail's shrill voice, and Tinypaw and Swallowpaw giggled.

"Speak of the devil..." Swallowpaw mewed, and Tinypaw turned around to see Leaftail rushing towards her. Soon, Tinypaw was being covered in licks so fierce they made Tinypaw's skin underneath tug in different directions.

"Oh, Tinypaw! I'm so glad you're all right!" Leaftail fretted.

Tinypaw attempted to shove her mother away, but to no avail. "Mom, I'm fine, really..." but Leaftail stopped anyway.

"Don't you ever scare me like that!" Leaftail scolded.

Tinypaw gave her an exasperated look. "I came home every night, you were just sleeping! I was fine, mom!"

Leaftail shook her head. "You came home late and left home early. I never even got a chance to speak to you!"

"Mom, listen...mom, listen to me!" Tinypaw yowled, and Leaftail stopped her muttering about safety.

"I'm not a kit anymore. Please, stop babying me. Ever since I got that _one_ bout of green cough, you've kept me inside the lines and never let me do anything I've wanted to do. If you're going to be like this during my entire apprenticeship, then I'd hate to think what you'd do to me as a warrior. Face it, mom; I'm growing up." Leaftail blinked and was silent as she listened to her smallest daughter; by now every cat was awake and watching the two she-cats bicker.

Leaftail swallowed. "Fine. You're right. It's not right for me to baby you like a kit; you're growing up, and I've been blind not realize that. I'm sorry." Tinypaw blinked, surprised at her mother's solemn statement. They were silent, and then the dawn patrol set out.

* * *

Through the patrol, Tinypaw saw Leaftail speaking with Blazestar in deep conversation.

"I wonder what they're saying," Swallowpaw wondered aloud as her and Tinypaw re-scented the border. Tinypaw noticed that the scent markings were slightly faint, and realized that, since they had been working together, RiverClan had had no need to scent their borders to warn ShadowClan off. Now they were setting strong, fresh scents over the border, and Tinypaw knew that their temporary alliance with the forest Clan was over.

Across the border, Tinypaw saw the tiniest green leaves starting to sprout out of the scorched treetops, and she couldn't help but smile. ShadowClan had made it through a tragedy, and now things were slowly getting back on track.

As they headed toward the WindClan border, Tinypaw saw two tiny birds chirping and hopping about on the ground, chattering and shrieking to each other. Tinypaw watched as they flew away together, then flew in different directions, quickly growing out of sight. It reminded her of Skullpaw and Blackpaw, first so close and then moving farther apart with every step. Tinypaw sighed.

When the patrol got back to camp, Tinypaw picked a vole to eat with Swallowpaw by the apprentices' den; suddenly, Blazestar hopped up on the Reedledge to give an announcement. He called the Clan to gather, and Tinypaw finished her vole quickly to join them; was someone becoming a warrior? An apprentice? Fox? Badger?

As Tinypaw flipped through the options, the Clan was silenced and Blazestar began. "I, Blazestar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my ancestors to look down upon...Tinypaw." All heads turned her way, and Tinypaw blinked in surprise. Was she...becoming a warrior?

"Leaftail, her mentor and mother, has approached me, saying that she would like to resign her position as mentor to her child." Tinypaw blinked, tears brimming on the edge of her vision. Her mother was resigning? Her mind flew back to the moment before the patrol when she stood up to her mother, and she suddenly fit the pieces together. Leaftail speaking with Blazestar...her solemn tone when she had answered her rant...it was all starting to make sense. Tinypaw had never noticed how caring her mother really was.

"Tinypaw will receive a new mentor immediately." Blazestar continued. He paused. "Her new mentor will be...Fishsplash. I hope you will mentor Tinypaw well." Blazestar hopped down, and the meeting broke.

Tinypaw's blood ran cold. Fishsplash? _Fishsplash?_ She gulped, and Fishsplash approached to touch noses. She did, reluctantly, and saw an evil gleam in his eyes that, to Tinypaw, meant, _You're in for it now, kit._

**Please review! Cliffies are so much fun! Last chapter is up next!**


	26. Chapter 24: ShadowClan

**Here it is. The very last chapter. Please enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own warriors**

**Chapter 24**

_**ShadowClan**_

_ Skullpaw awoke to pouring rain. _He sat up, shook the moss off of his pelt, and headed briskly outside.

No other cats were around, and Skullpaw thought that they were either sleeping or hiding in from the rain.

He took a small mouse from the fresh-kill pile, and ran toward the hollow tree. It sheltered him from the rain, and provided a warm place where he lay down to eat his prey.

He stared out into the downpour. He remembered his bold move he made before Tinypaw left. Now, he regretted it dearly. Why did he show his attachment to her? Now it would be harder to separate. Well, Skullpaw sighed, at least she hadn't pulled away. That alone gave Skullpaw reassurance. He was glad that Blackpaw hadn't seen him doing that.

The thought of Blackpaw stung. _What're you looking over there for? Your _girlfriend _is already here! _He knew that Blackpaw was just feeling hurt, but he still felt pain whenever those words echoed in his head. He had a moon to regain her trust, while keeping Tinypaw's without losing Blackpaw's trust. The whole thought chain gave him a headache.

A dark shape darted towards him, and he realized that it was Blackpaw. She lay down beside him, panting, her pelt gleaming as the rainwater rolled off of her back.

"Good morning," Skullpaw mewed stiffly.

"Morning," Blackpaw panted. she laid her head on her paws, sighing at the downpour in front of them.

"The storm must've moved in overnight." Skullpaw mused. "It should clear out by sun high."

"How do you know?" Blackpaw asked.

"I don't know. Just a feeling. Usually when things start overnight...they tend to blow out before the end of the day." He noticed Blackpaw staring at him, and she quickly looked away.

"Listen, about yesterday," Blackpaw began, "...I'm sorry, for shouting at you and stuff. It was completely uncalled for." Skullpaw nodded, neither a yes nor a no to her apology.

"So...we're okay?" Blackpaw pressed gently against his side.

Skullpaw pretended to think. "If I say yes, will you hunt with me for a moon?"

Blackpaw nudged him, purring. "Sure."

"Then yes."

Blackpaw giggled. they stared out at the rain a little longer, and then it started to ease. Skullpaw stood, and pointed outside with his tail. "Did I tell you, or did I tell you?"

Blackpaw stood as well, and both of them came out of the tree and shook themselves. The Clan started to stir; the kits could be heard in the nursery, playing and arguing about what story they wanted to hear. Deathpaw and Fuzzypaw emerged out of the apprentices' den, and Graydawn was picking something from the fresh-kill pile.

The warriors on the other side of the tree were emerging as well, Softfur organizing a morning dawn patrol.

"I see you two have made up," Fuzzypaw mewed as Skullpaw and Blackpaw approached them, grinning at each other.

"Yes." Deathpaw growled, and slit his eyes. Skullpaw put a look of smugness on his face, standing closer to Blackpaw to further agitate his brother.

Behind them, around the tree, Duskstar's voice could be heard. "If you'll excuse me, I need to speak with Duskstar," Fuzzypaw mewed suddenly, and he darted through the tree and out of sight.

Fernstem's kits exited the nursery, hopping about and making obnoxious noises.

"Those kits are getting pretty big for the nursery," Blackpaw mused, "and they've reached their sixth moon. I think they were to become apprentices, but then the fire..."

A yowl from atop the tree trunk alerted the apprentices, and they looked up to see Duskstar standing atop it, with Fuzzypaw beside him.

"What's _he _doing up there?" Deathpaw mewed, flicking his tail at Fuzzypaw.

"Shh." Blackpaw shushed him, for Duskstar had begun to speak.

"Cats of ShadowClan," Duskstar yowled, "since this tree has fallen atop our old Dark Rock, this will be our new meeting place. We shall call it...Fallen Tree."

"How original," Skullpaw heard Deathpaw mew to Blackpaw, and she cuffed him, claws sheathed, over the ears.

"Today, my son, Fuzzypaw, has come to me, saying that he would like to train as a medicine cat," Duskstar continued, "and I agree to arrange to make him one. We have spoken with Dewheart, and she agrees to take him to the Moonpool tonight and take him on, in StarClan's name, as her apprentice."

The Clan on either side of the tree cheered. "Fuzzypaw! Fuzzypaw! Fuzzypaw!"

Once the din had subsided, Duskstar mewed, "Now, it is about time Fernstem's kits became apprentices. Waterkit, Singedkit, Grasskit, Frenzykit, and Rhinokit, please step forward." All of the kits padded forward, until they had formed a semi-circle at the base of Fallen Tree. Duskstar leaped down, and stood proudly in the center.

"I, Duskstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these kits. They have now reached their sixth moon, and are ready to be apprenticed. Waterkit, step forward." Waterkit did so. "Waterkit, you shall be known as Waterpaw. Your mentor will be Cindershadow." Waterpaw ran up to touch noses with Cindershadow, then sat around his brothers.

"Singedkit, you shall be known as Singedpaw. Crowmoon, you have asked for an apprentice; you shall mentor Singedpaw." Singedpaw touched noses with his new mentor, and sat down next to Waterpaw.

"Rhinokit, you shall be known as Rhinopaw. Lightfeather will be your mentor." Lightfeather touched noses calmly with Rhinopaw and sat back down.

"Frenzykit, you shall be known as Frenzypaw. Your mentor will be Snowfang." they touched noses and sat down at the rim. Only one kit remained in front of Duskstar.

"Grasskit, you shall be known as Grasspaw. Your mentor will be Emberpool; Emberpool, now that Fuzzypaw is no longer your apprentice, I hope you train Grasspaw in all that you know." Emberpool dipped his head to his leader, and touched noses with Grasspaw.

The Clan began to chant. "Waterpaw! Frenzypaw! Singedpaw! Rhinopaw! Grasspaw! Waterpaw! Frenzypaw! Singedpaw! Rhinopaw! Grasspaw!"

The meeting broke, and the new apprentices headed toward Deathpaw, Blackpaw, and Skullpaw.

"We get to den with you now!" Grasspaw mewed excitedly.

Skullpaw stifled a purr. "Do you want to see the den before you go out with your mentors?" All of the toms agreed eagerly, and Skullpaw led them to the den.

Once they picked out their nests, their mentors collected them and headed out of camp, forming the dawn patrol.

Skullpaw looked upward at the gray sky. "It'll be hard for them to scent anything with that rain that just passed."

"Well, at least the forest will start growing again." Blackpaw mewed pointedly. She gazed at the forest around her. "It seems like the fire was so long ago."

"Yeah," Skullpaw agreed. His eyes clouded with the memory of Tinypaw, but he shook his head.

"Hey." Deathpaw meowed as Fuzzypaw approached them, tail waving in the air. "Since when have you wanted to be a medicine cat?"

"Since forever." Fuzzypaw mewed firmly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Dewheart and I have to head to the Moonpool."

Skullpaw, puzzled, looked to the sky. "But it's morning."

"Well," Fuzzypaw sniffed, "it takes a day to get there." With that, Fuzzypaw bounded toward the medicine den through Fallen Tree.

"Somebody's got an attitude." Blackpaw murmured, and Skullpaw chuckled.

"Come on. Why don't we go hunting?" Skullpaw offered to Blackpaw, and she nodded, her tail slapping Deathpaw's muzzle as she walked by. Deathpaw growled, and slit his eyes. Skullpaw felt his brother's eyes smoldering in the back of his pelt, but he ignored it. This is what he gets for being such a jerk to him.

As Skullpaw entered the forest, he breathed in the rain-fresh air. The grass was starting to grow back on the brittle ground, and little sprouts of leaves were growing up in the trees. Even birdsong could be heard again echoing in the pines. It seemed that everything was getting back to normal; and that Blackpaw's trust was beginning to be earned once more.

"Hey," Blackpaw's sharp mew startled Skullpaw out of his peaceful thoughts. "what's that over there?"

Skullpaw looked to where she was pointing with her tail, seeing nothing but a newly budding holly bush swaying in the light breeze. "What? I don't see anything."

Blackpaw looked puzzled at the bush. "I...I thought I saw a tail." She shook her head. "I must've imagined it." but she still looked uncertain as they moved on.

Skullpaw warily looked around, sensing a presence nearby. He whirled around as a twig snapped abruptly behind them, and turned around just to see a shadowy tail disappearing into the new-growing brush.

"Hey!" Skullpaw snapped, and Blackpaw jumped behind him. "I saw it too." He looked around, fear glimmering in his eyes. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

Around them, a dark chuckle echoed between the treetops, being joined by three others; Blackpaw pressed behind Skullpaw, bristling.

"Do not worry. We will not harm you." The voices echoed in unison. Skullpaw bristled as shadowy shapes leaped from the trees, quickly surrounding them.

"Who are you?" Skullpaw snarled, his voice cracking as he attempted to keep the fear out of his voice. The shapes laughed, a single note that spread around them like a blanket of darkness.

"We are within you," one shadow mewed as it began to circle them; the others took its lead, forming a large circle barrier between Skullpaw, Blackpaw, and their escape.

"We are outside of you," another shadow growled.

"We are what chills your skin,"

"What chills your heart,"

"What chills your soul."

"We are..." all together, the shadows yowled, "Fear!" Suddenly, the cats lunged at the apprentices, but all they felt was a warm, black smoke engulfing them, slowly, chillingly; Skullpaw felt his blood run cold and his spine tingle, and he tried to stay brave. Blackpaw was hissing with horror, and suddenly the smoke vanished, leaving the apprentices alone in a now-silent forest.

The two stood, frozen in place, as their encounter sunk in. Blackpaw turned to Skullpaw, eyes wide with apprehension and fear. "What were they?"

Skullpaw gulped, his throat dry. "Shadows."

* * *

** Please review! *horns play and I dance around happily while streamers fall* The book is officially finished! Thank you all for reviewing and reading. And look out for the next book, "The Dawn's Beginning: Book 2: Lurking Darkness" on my profile page! This is SpiritGirl183, signing off.**

**~SpiritGirl183~**


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